Turkey Culture & Development

Home , Governor of Kars, Kars, Kars Province

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FINAL NARRATIVE REPORT

Thematic window Turkey Culture & Development

Joint Programme Title: Alliances for Culture Tourism (ACT) in Eastern Anatolia

October 2012 Prologue

The MDG Achievement Fund was established in 2007 through a landmark agreement signed between the Government of Spain and the UN system. With a total contribution of approximately USD 900 million, the MDG-Fund has financed 130 joint programmes in eight Thematic Windows, in 50 countries around the world.

The joint programme final narrative report is prepared by the joint programme team. It reflects the final programme review conducted by the Programme Management Committee and National Steering Committee to assess results against expected outcomes and outputs.

The report is divided into five (5) sections. Section I provides a brief introduction on the socio economic context and the development problems addressed by the joint programme, and lists the joint programme outcomes and associated outputs. Section II is an assessment of the joint programme results. Section III collects good practices and lessons learned. Section IV covers the financial status of the joint programme; and Section V is for other comments and/or additional information.

We thank our national partners and the United Nations Country Team, as well as the joint programme team for their efforts in undertaking this final narrative report.

MDG-F Secretariat

FINAL MDG-F JOINT PROGRAMME NARRATIVE REPORT

Participating UN Organization(s) Sector(s)/Area(s)/Theme(s) UNDP (lead agency) Pro-poor sectoral (tourism) development policies UNESCO, UNICEF, UNWTO implemented with framework of social (cohesion) integration policies by recognizing pluralism, dialogue of cultures and the establishment of a culture of peace in Eastern Anatolia and with peoples of neighbouring countries

Joint Programme Title Joint Programme Number Alliances for Culture Tourism in Eastern 1792 Anatolia

Joint Programme Cost Joint Programme [Location] [Sharing - if applicable] [Fund Contribution): USD Region (s): Eastern Anatolia/Turkey

Govt. Contribution: USD Governorate(s): Kars Agency Core Contribution: Other: District(s): Kars TOTAL: 3,800,000 USD

Final Joint Programme Evaluation Joint Programme Timeline

Original start date Final Evaluation Done Yes X No December 2008 Evaluation Report Attached X Yes No Final end date Date of delivery of final report May 2012

Participating Implementing Line Ministries and/or other organisations (CSO, etc) Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, Ministry of Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Family and Social Policies, (Please see the List: Annex I )

Report Formatting Instructions:  Number all sections and paragraphs as indicated below.  Format the entire document using the following font: 12point _ Times New Roman.

I. PURPOSE

a. Provide a brief introduction on the socio economical context and the development problems addressed by the programme.

Provinces of Eastern Anatolia are the poorest in Turkey with human development (HDI) levels far below national averages. Policy options are limited for the people of the region to attain economic and social opportunities: “In the short and middle term, the important economic potential of the region appears to be in the commercial and tourism sectors. The region has highly valuable cultural assets that are little known in the world. Incentives in these areas have a high chance of success (for poverty reduction)” (UNDP-Turkey, 2006). Kars is situated at the northern tip of the Eastern Anatolia region and lies in the heart of the South Caucasus at a strategic position of the Turkey‟s border, which intersects with Armenia, Georgia and Iran. It has an HDI value of 0.644 compared to the national average of 0.757. Poverty rates in Kars are estimated to be around 30 percent (31 percent based on poverty certificates issued) compared to 17 percent for national averages. Kars is home to the ancient city of Ani which is one of the richest areas of medieval art and architecture. Many cultures have left their traces in the region. Turkey is committed to the highest standards of conservation and protection of these areas in line with the applicable conventions.

Tourism is a major economic force in Turkey; however, the vast bulk of this activity occurs in the west and south of the country, with receipts in north eastern Anatolia estimated at less than 1% of the national total. Cultural tourism currently accounts for around 8-12% of incoming tourism in terms of motivation of visit, but it is anticipated that this market share may expand to around 20% or more in the next ten years. In Eastern Anatolia, cultural assets can provide a catalyst for this process, with sustainable tourism providing a link between them and poverty reduction. The challenge lies in linking the cultural and tourism potentials of this region to local economic growth and to ensure that these assets are leveraged in the national and regional development plans targeting the region.

The cultural heritage of people is the memory of its living culture. It takes many different forms, both tangible (monuments, landscapes, objects) and intangible (languages, know-how, performing arts, music and the like) and this holistic approach to heritage contributes to its integration in the society and the recognition of its triple role as a foundation of identity, a vector for development and a tool for reconciliation. Activities of heritage protection referring to internationally recognized standard setting instruments will contribute to incorporate their principles in local and regional policies and to link the normative and the operational, and the global to the local. Such an approach will enable culture to contribute to development and revenue generation and demonstrate that “culture counts” while preserving its authenticity and integrity and the values, and meanings it contains to be enhanced by present generations and to be handed to future ones. Collaborative efforts between the national and local authorities, the civil society and the private sector in Eastern Anatolia and in Kars are helpful for fostering this type of appreciation and will contribute to social cohesion, especially among young women and men, with regard to matters of culture. The very good initiatives of local authorities and civil society in fostering this appreciation lack strategic outlook and suffer from lack of resources and expertise.

b. List joint programme outcomes and associated outputs as per the final approved version of the joint programme Document or last agreed revision.

Major achievements Development of institutional Increase of communities’ capacities and Promotion of social capacities and regulatory enterprises in Kars cohesion and dialogue frameworks 2 - Cooperation between national - Capacities developed of local non- International Minstrels and local authorities strengthened governmental partners and other Festival organised (with and local authorities‟ institutional stakeholders from the local civil the participation of and professional capacities society, in the safeguarding, Minstrels from different developed in the safeguarding, management and promotion of regions and provinces of management and promotion of cultural heritage, and its integration Turkey and from cultural heritage, and its into sustainable tourism development neighbouring countries) integration into sustainable processes/policies/activities (120 Minstrels from tourism development Turkey and abroad processes/policies/activities - Capacities developed of local participated. The 6th stakeholders in the planning and International Minstrels Cultural policies strengthened implementation of heritage Festival was held and implemented more effectively management tools; in particular, the between 24-26 June at National and Local level involvement of the local communities through the Municipality, (capacities enhanced for the was ensured during the preparation of with exceptional implementation of the 2003 the Management Plan Framework and participation of Convention for Safeguarding of draft management plan for the site of performers from Turkey Intangible Cultural Heritage, and Ani; and abroad (Kyrgyzstan, completion of National Inventory Georgia, Azerbaijan and forms) ( The field research - Tour Operators Survey and Tourism Iran); covered 80 villages; 50 students Cluster Road Map elaborated; and 4 senior researchers from - Children Museum Kafkas University were involved - Tourism related trainings delivered by Training Modules on and trained. Approximately 7000 the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to cultural heritage pages of data transcriptions, 2000 268 people, 38% of which are women; delivered in 8 cities; photographs, 260 video recording have been collected and made - Awareness-raising and informative/ - Social network created available on the official web promotional materials on local and strengthened: a pages of the University and the cultural heritage produced (CDs and platform for UNJP); books on intangible cultural heritage discussions and such as publication on “Folk Tales expression of opinions Capacities enhanced and related from Minstrels” and Eastern Anatolian created for civil tools developed for the Folk Tales collection; book on society; management of tangible cultural “Mapping Intangible Cultural heritage (ArcGIS software and Heritage of Kars Province”; brochures - Participatory process automated system developed for for awareness–raising on the involving central and the creation and management of safeguarding of cultural heritage and local authorities as digital data on conservation, relevant legislative framework at well as civil societies monitoring and supervision of national level, etc.); leading to established registered sites and immovable partnerships, with an cultural and natural assets in the - Tourism promotion and marketing: inclusive approach; province of Kars and activated. brochures, documentary film, map on Revision and update and Kars province; participation in three -Brochures aiming at integration of existing official international tourism fairs (in Istanbul raising awareness at both map of Ani completed. Draft in February 2010, in Moscow in local and national level management plan for the site of March 2010 and in ITB Berlin in on the legislative and Ani developed and finalised, with March 2011), a live radio show on normative framework for participation of all relevant TRT (National Broadcasting Agency); the safeguarding of stakeholders, including the cultural heritage in development of stakeholders‟ - Contribution to the improvement of distributed in 81 capacities in the planning and artisans and technical support in order provinces of Turkey. ( implementation phase) (2643 files to create a platform for training in The preparation and containing 852 Regional Board making and performing traditional publishing of a set of 7 decisions, 920 identification instruments “saz” and “tar” and (seven) brochures aimed cards, 295 rehabilitation projects, establishment of a chorus comprised at raising awareness on 82 plans and maps, 44 principle of mostly youngsters including the legislative and

3 decisions and other 450 files have women ; normative framework for been digitalized, and the software the safeguarding of system developed. Feasibility - Methodologies of cooperation at cultural heritage in Analysis on terrestrial national and local level introduced Turkey has been measurements of 20 sites and (Cooperation Agreement signed by the completed (7000 copies registered buildings in Province of Municipality, Ministry of Culture and printed and delivered to Kars completed.); Tourism and Minstrels Association for MoCT, for use at local the establishment of a “Culture and national level. The - Policy documents elaborated: House” dedicated to the promotion brochures have been Tourism Master Plan; Tourism and safeguarding of Minstrels subsequently revised Action Plan; Children Museum Tradition. As a result, a platform according to the Training Kit; Ani Site created for the Minstrels to meet, amendments to the legal Management Plan Framework practice and perform Minstrel framework introduced in approved in preparation of the Tradition to ensure its safeguarding 2011, and reprinted in draft 5-year Ani Site and viability. The library within the additional 7000 copies to Management Plan according to Culture House has been enriched be distributed to the current legislative framework ; through the purchase of books on the museums, tourism Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Minstrel Tradition. Traditional Music information centers and Heritage Basic Texts Booklet. instruments have also been provided). other heritage institutions in 81 provinces of - The JP has established - Promotional tour for Kars organized Turkey) models, good practices and by local stakeholders; methodologies for up- - Promotion of cultural scaling/replication elsewhere, - Public-private cooperation diversity through the even beyond Turkey (e.g. Ani Site established, for example info tour for mapping of intangible Management Plan, Children national tour agents and media; cultural heritage via Museum Rooms, Training field research in 80 Modules for technical/managerial - It has both upstream dimension in villages involving 50 skills for income generation and terms of formulation of Tourism trained students from micro and small business Development Strategy (based on the Kafkas University. development, Mapping of culture, nature and winter sports), It was a participatory Intangible Cultural Heritage of Sustainable Tourism Development process with the Kars Province through the Action Plan and establishment of targeted population cooperation with the Kafkas Tourism Development Organization, and a special care was University) as well as downstream income given to reflect and - generating and poverty alleviation respect the cultural interventions with focus on women diversity of the target entrepreneurs; area

- Local level consultative processes - Gender balance managed with the participation of approach was ensured private sector, local authorities and as a cross-cutting civil society to develop roadmaps for priority throughout the tourism sector development on implementation of the selected priority areas in line with entire JP, and special Kars Tourism Strategy; attention was given to activities related to - It has introduced 33 specific tourism women-led initiatives related products for marketing and has (e.g. in the selection of supported SME‟s thus creating income projects to be financed generation activities and by the grant scheme) opportunities;

- In order to support the local development initiatives 8 grant projects were implemented to support

4 the infrastructural and organizational efforts that will meet the immediate requirements for further development of tourism industry in Kars, and to build good examples for future replication.

Outcome: Pro-poor sectoral (tourism) development policies implemented with framework of social (cohesion) integration policies by fostering pluralism, dialogue of cultures and the establishment of a culture of peace in Eastern Anatolia and with peoples of neighbouring countries by 2010. Outputs: 1. A model for strategic direction, prioritization and coordination of cultural heritage protection and cultural tourism delivery in Turkey‟s less developed regions produced and implemented in Kars. 1.1. Policy for protection and enhancement of cultural assets in Kars and environs developed and presented for adoption by national authorities. 1.2. Site and tourism management planning and implementation capacities of local and national managers of cultural assets in Eastern Anatolia. 1.3. A cultural tourism strategy and action plan agreed to by national authorities within the context of the “Brand City” program and the Tourism Strategy 2023. 1.4. New information delivery and marketing system established in Kars. 2. Capacities of communities and enterprises increased for income generation and job creation in the culture based tourism sector. 2.1. Capacities of existing enterprises strengthened and community initiatives started. 2.2. Systems for enterprise support and development established in line with applicable EU regional development and competitiveness strategies. 3. Local authorities and civil society in Kars and its environs and other relevant provinces promote social cohesion and dialogue through fostering of pluralism. 3.1. Capacities of local authorities, civil society and youth on the role of culture in building identity, social cohesion and dialogue built. 3.2. Local participatory governance structures enhanced to promote and manage social cohesion programs through fostering of pluralism. 3.3. Children‟s understanding of cultural diversity and ability to resolve conflict increased through the provision of cultural and life skills based education programmes within the Child‟s Rights Committees of İstanbul, Ankara, Eskisehir, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan, Erzurum and Kars.

c. Explain the overall contribution of the joint programme to National Plan and Priorities. The Joint Program was implemented based on existent national strategies, including the Ninth Development Plan (2007-2013), the Government‟s Tourism and Strategy Action Plan of 2007- 2013 and the 2023 Tourism Strategy Thereby, national ownership was ensured through the effective cohesion of program outputs with the institutional set up of management of cultural policy and cultural tourism in the country and of program targets with those of the relevant national authorities.

On the other hand, the joint programme has also contributed to the debate on development of sustainable/community based tourism in Turkey. The experience and lessons learned throughout the JP period were instrumental in developing new initiatives with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for supporting the capacities of local and other central actors for development of the sustainable/community based tourism. Such support includes improvement of legislative framework and strengthening the dialogue with various actors engaged in management of cultural

5 assets and tourism. The experience generated throughout the Programme will also be incorporated as appropriate into the 10th National Development Plan, the preparations of which have been launched in summer 2012.

d. Describe and assess how the programme development partners have jointly contributed to achieve development results.

The Tourism Master Plan and the Marketing Plan (including a detailed 3-year Action Plan) were developed on the basis of the above-mentioned national strategies.

As indicated in the Joint Programme document, the outcomes and outputs of the partner Agencies activities are interrelated. Activities of UN partner agencies were demand-driven by the national implementation partner(s). Leadership from central ministerial units was also required for local authorities to contribute to project results effectively. Although the partnerships of the program are interlinked in a mutually supportive manner, each UN agency had its primary partner within the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Each of the agency outputs of the Joint Programme are aligned to the mandates and plans of a particular unit within the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In addition, as referred in the evaluation report the logic of the programme indicates that if cultural awareness is raised it would be easier and more sustainable to work on “developing capacities” and “promoting a conducive policy environment”. Equally, it is also observed that if capacities are developed, the policy environment is conducive and the right tools are in place, this will translate into income generation activities that will contribute to the economic development of the area through cultural tourism. So, the “income generation activities” were considered as a stimulus to create awareness and build capacities. UNESCO together with UNICEF were the two agencies more involved at the level of “awareness raising” (mapping of intangible ICH, brochures on the legislative and normative framework for the safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Turkey, Children´s room in the Museums, etc.). UNESCO, in particular, focused on ensuring the sustainability of cultural resources with a view at their integration into tourism development processes, by improving their safeguarding and management. Besides, the results of the Mapping of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Kars Province provided information on traditional children games and toys which were inspired and used during the establishment of Children Museum Rooms. The strong cooperation between all UN Agency partners during the selection and carrying out of the Grant Scheme Programme is another proof of the common objective and interrelated results of the activities. UNDP used the Tourism Master Plan as a reference document during the Grant Scheme Programme. UNWTO together with UNDP conducted a Study Tour and organized the participation to the National and International Tourism Fairs together with UNWTO in order to increase the awareness, promote the Kars and the Eastern Anatolia Region and increase the ownership and cooperation among relevant stakeholders. Besides this, these achievements created a suitable environment for information exchange and built partnership between culture and tourism industries. UNDP and UNWTO also developed a Tourism Web Site for Kars and Eastern Anatolia in order to provide a suitable environment to promote Kars and the Region and also create a network among relevant parties. UNESCO together with UNWTO and UNDP worked intensively on components intending to build capacities for the private and the public sector and on promoting a conducive policy environment and appropriate tools for safeguarding of cultural assets in a complementary manner (such as, Tourism Master Plan, Ani Site Management Plan, Digitization of tangible Cultural Heritage, establishment of a culture house, Clustering methodology, etc.). Synergies have been produced among the different components. In some cases it has been due to a good design that enabled the work of different UN agencies under the same output. In other cases (most of them) the synergies have appeared due to the good collaborative approach of the stakeholders and the frequent information sharing and learning provided by the JP team. The PMC and the coordination within the UNJP team have been fundamental while creating these synergies. It is also observed that the synergy between local and national level was fundamental in the successful achievements and completion of activities. A good example of how these synergies happened by design is the interrelation among the mapping of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Tourism Master Plan, the Ani Site Management Plan and the Peer to peer trainings for the Children´s Room in the Museums. The early results of the ICH mapping prepared by UNESCO were fed into the Tourism Action Plan led by UNWTO. Part of the Tourism Action Plan was also fed into the Ani Site Management Plan Development Framework. Also some of the mapping of ICH was fed into the peer to peer training 6 organized by UNICEF. Similarly, UNDP supported tourism related trainings in line with the Tourism Action Plan and also contributed to the promotion of Kars tourism potential through development of promotional kits, maps and finally a web site.

II. ASSESSMENT OF JOINT PROGRAMME RESULTS

a. Report on the key outcomes achieved and explain any variance in achieved versus planned results. The narrative should be results oriented to present results and illustrate impacts of the pilot at policy level. Support to the safeguarding and promotion of cultural diversity and cultural heritage, with a special focus on intangible cultural heritage and the diversity of cultural expressions

Outcomes: - Awareness-raised and capacities developed for the implementation of relevant international standards, with special reference to the UNESCO 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. - National inventory process for intangible cultural heritage in Kars and neighboring provinces advanced (2 workshops organized for local stakeholders at local and regional level, including 13 provinces in Eastern Anatolia, on the preparation of forms for the national inventory making of intangible cultural heritage) - Awareness raised, information gathered and processed, and capacities developed on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in the province of Kars (realisation and publishing of a research for the mapping of intangible cultural heritage in the province of Kars. Selected data were presented in form of a publication, and the overall research outcome submitted to MoCT for their archives and further processing.); - Kars‟ intangible cultural heritage promoted and awareness raised on its richness and diversity, through the production and distribution of books and audiovisual materials (production of a book with audio CD on traditional folk tale; production of an audio CD presenting a selection of Minstrels‟ performances) and the organization of public events (organisation of 2 international Minstrels‟ festivals in Kars, with the participation of neighbouring countries, 120 Minstrels; 5 women Minstrel, and an audience of 5000 in Kars, Kağızman and Sarıkamış) - Viability reinforced and capacities developed for the safeguarding and promotion of the Minstrelsy tradition, as Kars‟ most renowned intangible cultural heritage element, already inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural heritage of humanity (rehabilitation and opening of a Culture House dedicated to the art of Minstrelsy; agreement established between Minstrels Association, Kars Municipality and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; professionals trained in the making of traditional musical instruments, “saz” and “tar”; minstrels festival organized; books and CDs produced on Minstrelsy tradition) - Overall awareness raised on the concept and value of intangible cultural heritage, both at the level of relevant local authorities, and with the regard to the heritage bearers (individuals, groups, communities) - Main assets of Kars‟ intangible cultural heritage assessed and properly integrated into cultural tourism development processes, with a view at ensuring their sustainability.

Creation of a Model for Strategic Direction, Prioritization and Safeguarding of Tangible Cultural Heritage

Outcomes: - Capacities enhanced in the planning and implementation of management tools, with special reference to the preparation of a drat management plan for the site of Ani with participative approach, ensuring the involvement, networking and cooperation of all relevant stakeholders (central and local authorities, site managers, individual professionals, civil society, local communities, etc.). This was mostly achieved through the support offered to the preparation of a management plan for the Site of Ani, which is the main cultural assets and potentially the most important cultural attraction in the project area. In particular, the UNJP initiated and led 7 the process for the definition of the draft management plan, providing technical assistance and activating partnerships between all relevant stakeholders, with an inclusive participatory approach. This is resulted in a decisive improvement in the safeguarding and management of cultural and natural sites in the project area, and paved the way for their better and sustainable integration into the local tourism development programmes. - The activities for the preparation of the Ani Site Management Plan also determined an increase of funds allocated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for the conservation and restoration of the site of Ani (ca. 375.000 Euros in 20009, and 350.000 in 2010). - Capacities developed for the registering, conservation, and monitoring of natural and cultural heritage in the province of Kars, through the establishment and activation of a digital automated system. As an indirect result, the activities for the creation of the automated system also determined acceleration in the establishment of the Local Conservation Council in Kars, which was long planned by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and eventually opened in 2011. - Furthermore, the activities brought along significant results in terms of training, institutional and professional capacity building (both at central and local level), awareness raising (concerning institutions, practitioners, and civil society at large in the involved communities), as well as the establishment of partnerships between the central state authorities, the local government agencies, and the stakeholders for the academic sector and the civil society. - As a result of the capacity-building action, and of the creation of related operational tools, the conditions were created for ensuring the sustainable integration of local cultural heritage into tourism development processes.

Within Overall Output 1.3: i. A complete qualitative and quantitative audit of Kars tourism facilities and services was carried out with the support of UNWTO Volunteers Programme; ii. A survey of selected international and national tour operators on current and potential interest of Kars as a tourism destination was conducted; iii. The Tourism Master Plan was elaborated in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and local stakeholders from Kars (approved by the Government of Turkey and UN agencies in December 2010). iv. An assessment of the institutional capacity to develop and manage tourism in Kars was carried out and the possible structure of a Tourism Governance Organization was elaborated; and v. A three-day workshop was held in Kars in May 2010 including 26 local stakeholders with the collaboration of UNDP and UNESCO with the purpose of (i) consulting on the Tourism Master Plan and (ii) establishing the framework of a TGO for Kars.

Within Overall Output 1.4: i. Capacity building activities on promotion and information delivery with local stakeholders and governmental representatives were undertaken during the workshops held in the course of the study tour to Spain in December 2009; ii. Elaboration and promotion of itineraries within Kars, as well as an evaluation of enhanced use of cultural events were assessed within UNWTO‟s Volunteers Programme and included in the Tourism Master Plan for Kars; iii. Awareness-raising training on cultural heritage within the tourism sector was undertaken during the training programmes conducted in Kars in December 2010; iv. Promotional support was provided to Kars in participation at EMITT, ITB, and Kars Tourism Week; v. A marketing strategy with a detailed 3-year Action Plan, including guidance for the existing Tourism Information Centre in Kars, was formulated; vi. A logo and slogan for Kars were developed; vii. Promotional brochures (one general and three thematic brochures focusing on winter, culture and nature tourism products) for Kars were developed;

8 viii. A familiarization tour was organized in July 2011. The 15 participants included 5 international tour operators and national public and private sector representatives; and ix. A report with detailed research on tourism website development for Kars and draft ToR for a potential designer were formulated with the involvement of 2 UNWTO.Themis Foundation Volunteers.

Within Overall Output 2.1: i. A study tour with 32 local stakeholders from Kars was carried out to Spanish tourism destinations in December 2009; and ii. An assessment of the tourism use of cultural assets in Kars was conducted (included in the Master Plan). iii. 4 representatives from the MoCT, Sarikamis Governorate, SERHAT (sub-regional development agency in Kars), and a private sector representative participated in UNWTO‟s Practicum in June 2010; iv. A training needs assessment was carried out with the objective to establish a baseline assessment of capacity building needs for training programmes in Kars; v. In collaboration with an international expert, training programmes were designed based on the training needs assessment including the identification of enterprise opportunities for identified communities and groups and particularly focused on potential enterprise delivery for tourism facilities and services in Kars; vi. Training for tourism awareness-raising (51 participants) and hotel operations (24 participants) were implemented in December 2010; vii. Training in English language (62 participants) was conducted from February to April 2011; and viii. Business advisory services for tourism-related and non-tourism-related SMEs (about 50 beneficiaries) were conducted in May 2011. Within Output 2.2: i. The capacities of enterprises and local actors operating in tourism sector were developed particularly for tourism service delivery and promotion. ii. Cluster workgroups established to build a local network of stakeholders in tourism. These structures were instrumental in sustainable structures and identified priorities for tourism in Kars. Roadmaps developed by the cluster workgroups were later implemented to support and promote tourism sector. The capacity of such workgroups was further developed with relevant trainings and study tour as mentioned above. iii. Local initiatives supported to build best practice examples and contribute to implementation of the Tourism Action Plan.

b. In what way do you feel that the capacities developed during the implementation of the joint programme have contributed to the achievement of the outcomes?

The JP activities focusing on cultural heritage (tangible and intangible) offered a decisive contribution to the achievement of the JP outcomes, to the extent that they created the conditions for the safeguarding of this heritage and its sustainable integration into the tourism development processes/activities. Indeed, the JP approach was based on the assumption that the safeguarding of cultural heritage is a sine-qua-non for ensuring sustainability of any cultural tourism.

In particular, the JP provided concrete contributions to the safeguarding and promotion of the intangible cultural heritage, through a set of complementary activities carried out in parallel and aimed on the one hand to raise-awareness on the concept of intangible cultural heritage, and on the other to support its safeguarding and viability. These activities were comprised of the identification and mapping of the main intangible cultural assets in the Kars province, and the support to selected manifestations of this heritage, with special attention to the Minstrelsy tradition. The methodology used to supporting the Minstrelsy Tradition for transmission through written form, creating a platform for the making and performing of traditional instruments, contributing to promotion, and providing a culture house, all formed a solid basis for further activities to be held for the safeguarding and viability of this tradition. The Minstrelsy tradition is mostly practiced by men as it is an art associated with travelling, and very few women, are associated with the tradition. These women are mainly from 9 Sivas, Çorum and Eskişehir and not from Kars. Through the JP, women from Kars are both exposed to this tradition and also encouraged to learn and practice it. The most important component of this initiative was the establishment of the Culture House, and the memorandum of understanding signed for this purpose between the Municipality of Kars and the Minstrels Association which will ensure the continuity and sustainability of related activities beyond the end of the project. Along the same line, the JP supported the preparation and publishing of a book on Eastern Anatolian Folk Tales, which will allow further promoting and safeguarding oral traditions as a distinctive feature of the local intangible cultural heritage. This comprehensive approach to the safeguarding of the tradition and model to support local and national authorities, particularly for the elements inscribed in UNESCO‟s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity is a good practice as the modality of cooperation, namely the agreement between a Local Association and Municipality, and series of complementary activities can easily be replicated in other contexts and provinces of Turkey.

 Awareness was raised concerning all stakeholders (from relevant authorities, to the communities of bearers, to local civil society at large) on the nature, importance and value of Intangible cultural heritage  A good cooperation model was established for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage  Intangible cultural heritage from the target area was greatly promoted and the instruments created for its further promotion at local, national and international level  Tools, resources and processes were made available for supporting the safeguarding, viability and transmission of local intangible heritage, with special focus on the minstrelsy tradition  Local intangible cultural heritage was better integrated into processes and policies for the sustainable development of cultural tourism  The ownership from local communities and authorities was ensured  The overall experience may serve as a model for the establishment of other culture houses and the creation of platforms for different traditions in different contexts.  Other municipalities from the same region have already formulated requests for the same kind of support and activities.

UNJP activities concerning strategic direction, prioritization and safeguarding of tangible cultural heritage allowed the realization of an integrated model for the protection of cultural and natural assets, and paved the way for their sustainability and better integration into the local tourism development programmes. This result, which determined a decisive improvement of the institutional capacities of relevant authorities, was achieved by means of two main sets of interventions:

The planning, realization and activation of an automated system for the creation and management of digital data on conservation, monitoring and supervision of registered sites and immovable cultural and natural assets in the province of Kars. Activities in this sense included the engineering of the system structure and functioning, the development of the software component, the purchase and installation of the hardware component, as well as the training of the system users both at local and national level. The system, designed and realised in close coordination with the Ministry of Cultural Tourism, is the first comprehensive tool for digitisation of cultural heritage ever activated in Eastern Anatolia, and will represent a point of reference for the development of similar structures in the region and all over Turkey.

The support to the preparation of a management plan for the Site of Ani, which is the main cultural assets and potentially the most important cultural attraction in the project area. In particular, the UNJP initiated and led the process for the definition of the draft management plan, providing technical assistance and activating partnerships between all relevant stakeholders, with an inclusive participatory approach. The Site Management Planning is a relatively new subject for Turkey. The first legal disposition was approved in 2004 and specific regulations were introduced in 2005. Since then, only a few management plans have been defined in Turkey in draft form mostly through external procurement for the assignment of related services to external consulting companies. The Ani Site Management Planning process is a model to be possibly replicated in other sites in Turkey and an important achievement, as it introduced for the first time in Turkey a methodology based on international standards and leveraging directly on the institutional structures and capacities of the relevant institutions (mostly, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism). 10

UNWTO‟s capacity building programmes adopted two approaches; on the one hand, strengthening of the capacities of the public sector in tourism development, management and promotion at the central level (by involving the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as active partners in the formulation of the Kars Tourism Master Plan, marketing strategy and training programmes) and at the provincial and municipal level (again, by involving Kars Provincial authorities, SERKA and Kars and Sarikamis municipal authorities in the Tourism Master Plan, marketing strategy, training programmes and all other project-related activities especially those related to the setting up of the Tourism Governance Organization). On the other hand, specific training programmes were also conducted for the private sector. Since tourism is an extremely competitive industry, the objective was to provide the local communities with basic skills and knowledge which would allow them to improve the level of tourism services in order to increase competitiveness – training programmes focused on English language, and hospitality and hotel skills (the latter in collaboration with the Human Resource Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism). Direct business advisory skills were also provided to tourism and tourism-related entrepreneurs with practical advice, and guidance given to these establishments on how to improve business plans, improve facilities and services, reduce costs and better cater their products and services to meet the needs of the tourism industry. It was felt that capacities developed during the implementation of the joint programme have contributed to the achievement of the outcomes as follows: it demonstrated how tourism can be a viable engine for socio-economic development particularly through the creation of employment for women and youth; the involvement of public stakeholders in the formulation of the Tourism Master Plan, the marketing strategy, the TGO, training activities and promotional campaigns helped to build partnerships and dialogue between at the public-public and public-private sector levels, it encouraged ownerships of the tourism development strategy and demonstrated how tourism development can be integrated into other development plans of the nation in general, and of the Province in particular.

A Sustainable Tourism Conference was organised in January 2012, involving local (Development Agencies, municipalities, NGOs, private sector representatives and tourism associations) and national stakeholders and international experts in a broad discussion about alternative forward looking models and experiences for sustainable tourism. This event was not included as an activity in the project documents. Local capacities on tourism have been further developed through a number of training activities, including one-to-one business advisory services.

Training modules in Museum Education were developed, published and distributed by UNICEF through Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Family and Social Policies (former SHCEK) and the University of Ankara (UoA), whose staff informed that the modules are being downloaded by a number of primary school teachers in the country and that other people are showing interest. This activity is planned to be evaluated next year. The friendship train activity was conducted gaining significant media attention and the government is planning to replicate the idea in the near future with a boat trip in the Black Sea. Children‟s Museum Rooms in Kars and Erzurum are operational and receiving visitors and peer trainings were delivered and extended to other cities beyond the programme. As a result of the JP the government is planning to open a children‟s museum in Ankara.

The museum training modules developed by UNICEF with the technical support of the University of Ankara includes a specific module on Kars and are being distributed all across the country. Stakeholders believe that this will serve as a promotional tool that will eventually increase the number of tourists visiting Kars.

The Joint Programme had significantly contributed to the systematic building of knowledge and awareness of the importance of cultural heritage (tangible and intangible) as both a past and future asset of the country, particularly among local stakeholders. This is fully aligned with the spirit and rationale of the thematic window‟s objectives and can therefore be considered a satisfactory contribution.

Empowerment of women was at the core of JP action. The programme has made a significant effort to 11 mainstream gender and reach women. Although it was not something proactively asked, gender issues and the importance of including women in the activities and benefits of the JP, kept on emerging during interviews with institutional stakeholders. This suggests that, even if not an explicit objective, the JP can legitimately claim some contribution to raising awareness and increasing understanding of the importance of gender equality among both national and local officials. The participatory implementation of this joint intervention, the awareness raised and the high quality of gender mainstreaming are factors that have decisively contributed to enable a conducive local environment for social and political participation and for the inclusion and equal opportunities of both women and men in this particular development process and may constitute a good basis for a stronger civic engagement in Kars in the future.

Capacity building was at the centre of the JP design and most of the activities conducted by all four agencies aimed to strengthen existing capacities at national and local level while providing practical tools and an enabling policy environment for cultural tourism management in Kars.

In total approximately 43 trainings were conducted in areas such as tangible and intangible cultural heritage, site management, project management; children‟s rights and peer museum education, cluster methodology or marketing and promotion of local products, among many others. Trainings included traditional learning modules and practical and experiential learning such as study tours or one-on-one counseling and have been delivered both by experts provided by the different UN agencies and regular staff from the MoCT. The JP estimates that, as a whole around 630 people were trained, although many of the trainees have probably attended more than one course.

The JP has been to integrate and make use of the expertise and existing capacities of the MoCT. Officials from the Research & Training department have been in charge of delivering some training sessions and the Ministry has fully covered tuition expenses. This has not only reinforced the ownership of the JP by national institutions but, in the words of one interviewee, “has allowed the Ministry to test their own capacities and resources in this particular field”.

At local level, some of the methodologies introduced (clusters) and the strategic tools provided, such as the tourism strategy (Tourism Master Plan), are serving to shape the Development Agency grant schemes and are being used as a reference to elaborate and develop tourism plans for other provinces.

UNDP and its community-based approach, the JP has initiated a process of community articulation of the cultural sector around the touristic potentials of its cultural heritage. This means that a lot of effort has been devoted to build relationships between the private and cultural sectors at the local level. But also, and maybe most importantly, significant linkages and bridges have been created between local and national stakeholders. The local level capacity building and networking activities contributed to a sustainable community of tourism actors, which have come together to identify their priorities for tourism development and the planned actions to support such priorities.

At local level, according to many the clusters workshops and the grant scheme have established the embryo of a collaborative culture among the private sector that was previously weak or nonexistent. The grant scheme requested applicants to work in partnership, and some of them continue to do so. For instance KARSOD, the association of hotel owners in Kars, has been implementing some marketing and branding trainings together with Kamer, an association of women producing felt products, a project funded by the MoCT provincial directorate. Finally, the association is also collaborating with students from Kafkas University to organise traditional dance performances in restaurants and hotels in the city, something that was considered rare before the JP by some stakeholders. These are just some of the examples given.

Another important side effect of this JP that was repeatedly mentioned by both national stakeholders and implementing agencies is the bridge built between Kars and national government officials. Although Kars was already part of the Brand City Programme when the JP was launched, through this programme, the province has attracted further attention from central government. The project had provided them with a unique opportunity to learn how to work with local stakeholders (beneficiaries, NGOs, media etc.), making them more aware of the gaps and contradictions of the regulatory 12 frameworks in practice. Similarly, the strengthened cooperation among the various Departments of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism was also critical in ensuring the success of the JP. This contribution has also been acknowledged by relevant Ministry staff several times and such cooperation is utilized for other initiatives as well (e.g. working group established to work on the legislative framework for sustainable/community based tourism)

The JP has contributed to increased local knowledge and understanding of the distribution of roles and responsibilities among the different institutions with a stake in the cultural tourism sector.

The familiarization tours organised through the project (Study Tour to Spain and Familiarization tour to Kars) were also considered to have the potential to increase the interest of national and international tour operators in the area and eventually bring growth and development. Although no evidence of this could be gathered, it was claimed that some of those tour operators had already shown interest, publicized their visit to Kars on their Web site and some of them had included Kars in their itineraries. Closely related, the participation of local hotels from Kars and Sarikamis in national and international tourism fairs is expected to attract more visitors to the city. The JP had directly contributed to raise the interest of locals in the establishment of bed and breakfast establishments. The number of information requests to their department in this regard has significantly increased since this programme.

The creation of income generation opportunities and job creation in Kars was the final goal of this JP. Cultural tourism is developed as a means to create growth and reduce income disparities with other parts of the country. Apart from the grant scheme initiative no other activity or output of the JP was conceived to directly impact on the economic growth and development of this Eastern Anatolia province.

c. Report on how outputs have contributed to the achievement of the outcomes based on performance indicators and explain any variance in actual versus planned contributions of these outputs. Highlight any institutional and/or behavioural changes, including capacity development, amongst beneficiaries/right holders.

The JP has succeeded in building solid working relations with government counterparts in the tourism sector at national level and local level, the creation of operational and policy tools as well as the development of professional and institutional capacities should be considered as very important elements in ensuring the future sustainability of the JP‟s results.

The great number of participants and the diversity of beneficiaries, partners and stakeholders, such as the NGO‟s, universities, local authorities was of the most important indicator taken into consideration while defining institutional or behavioral changes. To reach the greatest number of different target beneficiaries was one of the main aim in order to achieve intercultural dialogue and social cohesion, via ensuring the respect of local cultural diversity. The local communities‟ interest in improving their knowledge about tangible and intangible cultural assets of their province and consciousness about the importance of safeguarding has been proved through their effective participations to the interventions realized. The creation of a strong cooperation among national and local partners is another important aspect of the achievement.

The adoption of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage reserves a central role to the local communities in the process of identification of the intangible cultural assets. As regards actions in support of the national inventorying of ICH, it shall be noted that the inventory-making is considered as one of the necessary conditions to ensure the sustainable safeguarding of ICH and it is one of the priority actions that the signatory parties of the UNESCO convention must undertake for the Convention‟s implementation. The preparation of the national inventory for intangible cultural heritage within the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage criteria reflecting the cultural diversity of the target area in agreement

13 with relevant international standards was another indicator to evaluate the implementation. Ministry of Culture and Tourism has already reported the increase in the quantity and quality of forms particularly received from Eastern Anatolian Provinces of Turkey. MoCT has also submitted the publication on Mapping of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Kars Province in 81 provinces within Turkey explaining the methodology and cooperation with a University. Actually, it is possible to observe some universities organizing competitions concerning the intangible cultural heritage concept and values of their provinces.

The international Minstrels Festival continues to be held regularly every year with a broader participation. Minstrels Association holds regular activities within the Culture House. MoCT and Municipality of Kars keeps contributing for the organization of different activities for various occasions. The interest of women in Minstrelsy Tradition has been increased also through the training programme held on “saz” and “tar” making and performing. The atelier is still functioning. The master is keen on continuing the activity. A chorus has been established within the training programme. This chorus will be involved in the future cultural activities of the province. This initiative raised awareness among local communities about their intangible cultural assets of their province and stimulated the MoCT to consider the safeguarding of this tradition as a priority. The methodology used in supporting the Minstrelsy Tradition in means of; transmission in written form, creating platform for the making and performing traditional instruments, contribution to promotion providing a culture house formed a solid basis for further activities. For example, within the files concerning the precautions in order to safeguard the ICH prepared through MoCT, it is mentioned that the coffee houses dedicated to Minstrels shall be revived as they do not exist anymore. So, the importance of creating new environments for the viability of this tradition became important. That is why the establishment of a culture house and the modality of cooperation is a good example. An additional concrete example is the request of suggestions of the Municipality of Sivas from the Municipality of Kars for the same kind of implementation. The Minstrels in Kars Province are proud and satisfied to have a place to practice and transmit this tradition. They feel more responsible towards the young generation interested in this tradition and contribute to the viability of it.

The books and audiovisual materials produced on local intangible cultural heritage (Minstrels‟ CD, book on traditional folk tales, research on ICH mapping) also filled a crucial in the promotion of Kars cultural assets, providing basic instruments for spreading a more positive and more informed knowledge on the richness and diversity of Kars‟s heritage.

The awareness raising brochures were distributed to the museums, tourism information centers and all relevant places all over Turkey. The MoCT will reprint new copies to meet the needs of interested parts. The brochures are expected to bring concrete results in terms of enhanced knowledge on the concerned issues, and thus to strengthen the respect and safeguarding of cultural heritage.

As to the definition of the inventory of immovable cultural heritage in the target area complete with GIS and georadar data, photographic surveys and necessary measurements, assessment of conservation status served to establish sustainable mechanisms for the safeguarding and management of cultural heritage, to be autonomously operated by local stakeholders after the end of project. It will ensure an efficient and effective monitoring and the implementation of conservation, renovation, implementation, repair permit, building use permit, observation, inspection, licensing and project management activities in relation to the registered sites and assets. The creation of the automated system stimulated the MoCT to give priority to the establishment of Kars Preservation Council and the new assigned personnel benefited from this new initiative and attended all the training programmes.

In 2005 the new legislation concerning site management plan was entered into force but the implementation has not commenced yet. To this end, UNESCO‟s guidance in this means ensured and facilitated the process within international standards and a model for site management is prepared to be put into practice. Draft action plan served to stimulate the need for the assignment of a new site manager and head of excavations to give official support and incentives to strengthen the management structures or other initiatives which may be pertinent for the process. As a result of the draft Management Plan the stakeholders are introduced to each other in order to cooperate, the roles 14 and responsibilities of the partners are defined. The local authorities increased their ownership and role in safeguarding and promoting the Ani Archeological Site. Most of the meetings and press conferences are held under the auspices of the Governorate of Kars. The site is under the management and control of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT) which carries out and coordinates the excavation as well as the conservation works. MoCT has accelerated the restoration and preservation works in the area and consideration of Ani as priority become visible. Through MoCT‟s Cultural Assets and Museums Investment programmes, around 375.000 Euro (550.000 Tl) have been allocated for restoration/preservation works at Ani in 2009, and 350.000 Euro (700.000 Tl) in 2010.

Awareness raising on the importance of cultural heritage and cultural diversity also achieved by advocacy and visibility through strong relations with media. The workshops, training programmes, field researches and the publications produced as a result of these works are the basic tools for capacity development.

The project has a huge potential to sustainably contribute to the socio-cultural and economic development of the entire province through development of Kars as Brand City for cultural tourism, and generating related enterprises and micro-business development. It aimed at and already successfully ensured vertical linkage of the local communities, the provincial governorate/municipality, and the central government to facilitate more responsive, need-based and all inclusive strategy and programme development. The JP has given particular importance to the collaboration with the civil society and the private sector, in order to develop their capacities and collaboration with relevant authorities. The JP has established good practices and methodologies to be possibly shared and replicated elsewhere in Turkey or beyond, e.g., the preparation of the Ani Site Management Plan, the Children Museum Rooms, the Training Modules for technical/managerial skills for income generation and micro and small business development, etc. Acting on a demand- driven basis with the national implementing partner, the Joint Programme developed a very close cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT), benefiting on the one hand of the MoCT expertise and guidance, and contributing on the other to futher develop MoCT‟s capacities in the concerned fields of action. Official relations with MoCT are coordinated through the Department of External Relations and EU Coordination of the Ministry, which ensures that the relevant General Directorates of the Ministry provide the necessary inputs and guidance to the JP‟s action. Although the JP partner Agencies work in a coordinated, complementary and mutually supportive manner, each UN Agency has its primary partner within the MoCT according to the respective competences and their relevance to the JP‟s action and outputs. In broad strokes, the UNESCO contributions to project objectives in promoting sound management of tangible cultural heritage (Outputs 1.1 and 1.2) and the safeguarding and promotion of intangible cultural heritage (Output 3.1) are linked to the mandates of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, and the General Directorate of Research and Training respectively. As for the financial resources provided in order to implement the activities, apart from the funds allocated by the UNJP, MoCT assisted the local authorities to raise additional funds through the Prime Ministry Promotion Fund, especially in order to contribute to the realization of the 5th International Minstrel Festival. Besides, the Municipality of Kars also provided additional funds for the rehabilitation of the Culture House coordinated by UNESCO. Finally, the Grant Scheme for local pilot projects coordinated by UNDP also ensured the co-financing of activities by the selected applicants. These are further sign of the local partners‟ ownership, commitment and cooperation. The programme successfully ensured vertical linkage of the local communities, civil society actors and private sector with the local authorities (provincial governorate, the municipality) and the central government, thus facilitating more responsive, need-based and inclusive strategy and programme development. It has both upstream dimension in terms of formulation of Tourism Development Strategy (based on culture, nature and winter sports) and Sustainable Tourism Development Action Plan and establishment of Tourism Development Organization as well as downstream income generating and poverty alleviation interventions with focus on women entrepreneurs. It ensures the proper and effective safeguarding of cultural heritage in the target area as a necessary condition for the development of a sustainable cultural tourism, also developing good practices to be possibly replicated in different areas of the beneficiary country. Generally, since the JP‟s inception the collaboration, participation and sense of ownership by the national and local partners greatly increased, as well as the JP‟s awareness and visibility. The Joint Programme form a 15 model for the Government to effectively implement two National Tourism Strategies (i.e. the 2023 Tourism Strategy and 2007-2013 Tourism Strategy and Action Plan) and it was also based on another existent national strategy, the Ninth Development Plan (2007-2013).

1. Expected output: A model for strategic direction, prioritization and safeguarding of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and cultural tourism delivery in Turkey‟s less developed regions produced and implemented in Kars. a) Performance indicator: Availability of a Tourism Strategy for Kars Output achieved: Tourism Strategy Document for Kars is available and approved in a consultative process by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and all partnering UN agencies (approval date: 22 December 2010). The report includes a Diagnostic Report which evaluates the potential of tourism development in Kars, a Master Plan with recommendations for the sustainable development of tourism in Kars based on culture, nature and winter sports tourism products, and, an Action Plan for the implementation of the Master Plan recommendations. b) Performance indicator: Availability of tourism products strategically identified on the basis of supply and demand Output achieved: A complete qualitative and quantitative audit of Kars Province tourism facilities and services was carried out. The tourism potential of cultural tourism assets (tangible and intangible) based on UNESCO‟s identification and evaluation was assessed. The institutional capacity assessment was carried out and the possible structure of a Tourism Governance Organization (TGO) elaborated. Market profile, trends and opportunities of tourism assessed. A survey of selected international and national tour operators on current and potential interest of Kars as a tourism destination was conducted. A tourism marketing and promotional strategy including a three-year Action Plan was prepared in May 2011. A proposal for the setting up of a Tourism Information Centre was included as an Annex to the report. A logo and slogan for Kars Province were created. Tourism products also developed through the grant scheme, including felt gift items by women, Kars knick-knacks and a literature route of Kars. Promotional brochures (general information, winter, nature and culture thematic brochures) for Kars Province were approved and officially presented in July 2011. A famtour was organized for international tour operators and national tourism stakeholders and media representatives. The content of a website was prepared and launched, and ToR for a potential local person to develop and maintain the website was formulated. c) Performance indicator: Presence of a Tourism Governance Organization Output achieved: An assessment of the institutional capacity to develop and manage tourism in Kars was carried out and the possible structure of a Tourism Governance Organization was elaborated. Furthermore, a three-day workshop was held in Kars in May 2010 including 26 local stakeholders with the collaboration of UNDP and UNESCO with the purpose, amongst others, of establishing the framework of a Tourism Governance Organization for Kars.

2. Expected output: Capacities of communities and enterprises increased for income generation job creation in the culture based tourism. a) Performance indicator: Number of jointly implemented tourism related local economic development activities in Kars. Output achieved: Training in English language was implemented from February to April 2011 – 3 local trainers were trained and 39 trainees (from tourism and tourism-related establishments) were trained. Training for tourism entrepreneurship was implemented in May 2011. The training included one-on-one intensive sessions with 17 tourism and tourism-related entrepreneurs to review and analyse their business structure and provide guidelines for their improved business planning and management.

16 b) Performance indicator: Number of Capacity building activities of local and national Stakeholders Output achieved: Capacity development programs: These programs targeted enterprises/their managers, tourism employees, (potential) women entrepreneurs, with a view to increase their capacities to benefit from the tourism potential

Grant programme: A support scheme called “local development initiatives for tourism development” was announced in July 2010 to support a number of initiatives in order to: (i) meet the immediate small scale infrastructure or organizational requirements for the development of tourism in Kars; (ii) enhance the cooperation among stakeholders and public private partnerships in the field of tourism in Kars; (iii) create awareness on the importance of tourism in the economic development of Kars; (iv) support collective actions between tourism institutions and stakeholders to enhance public-private partnerships; and (v) improve service capacities of local tourism institutions and stakeholders for culture, winter and nature tourism through product development and/or human resources development programmes.

Support scheme for tourism development activities (income generating activities and/or cluster development activities launched with 8 initiatives supported.

Local governance mechanisms supported for tourism service delivery and promotion: UNJP made a contractual agreement with Kars Tourism Infrastructure Union (KARTAB) to prepare promotional materials such as booklets/maps, documentary and fair participation.

3. Expected output: Capacities of local authorities and civil society in promoting social cohesion and dialogue through fostering of pluralism a) Performance indicator: Number of Awareness Raising Workshops on Cultural Heritage and social cohesion implemented in Kars

Output achieved: Activities were fully completed and all expected outcomes were achieved.

In particular:

The field research on ICH in Kars province was completed, as well as the training and awareness-raising meetings on the inventorying of ICH (based on UNESCO 2003 Convention requirements).

The 6th International Minstrels Festival was held between 24-26 June 2011, organised by the Municipality with the support of the UNJP, with exceptional participation of performers from Turkey and abroad (Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran).

The Culture House was established and its premises refurbished and inaugurated to host the activities of the Minstrels Association. Minstrels Association started to hold regular activities (practice, performing, training, social activities) within the Culture House.

The Kars Minstrels Fest was organized in September by the Municipality, with the support of the UNJP. Regular Festive events were also held on the

17 occasion of Ramadan in August. MoCT allocated 6000 TL. for the realization of these events.

The “saz” and “tar” making and performing training courses were completed. The master continues to hold regular traditional music courses once a week and training classes on the production of traditional instruments, on its own initiative and with the active participation of the local community (both men and women).

b) Performance indicator: Availability of information on Main ICH Assets in the Target Area

Output achieved: Activities were fully completed and all expected outcomes were achieved.

In particular:

The results of the field research on ICH of Kars Province carried out by Kafkas University under the supervision of MoCT has been prepared as a publication and printed. This book will be distributed to all universities and provinces of Turkey.

Books on Minstrel tradition and traditional instruments have been purchased in order to enrich the Culture House‟s Library and increase the interest of people and particularly young generation.

40 Minstrels folk tales collected and published as a two volume book including a voice recording CD. The books have been distributed to related libraries and interested institution/ associations.

c) Performance indicator: Establishment of Children Museums in Eastern Anatolia

Output achieved:

Children Museum Rooms in Kars on 17 January 2011 and Erzurum on 21 April 2011 established.

Beneficiary Type

Good

Type

Delivered

Service or or Service

Beneficiary Category of Category

Public National -Awareness raising through workshops Institutions -Supporting Cultural Event Public Local Institutions -Awareness raising through workshops - Financing Cultural Projects - Provide Technical Support -Strengthening Cultural Infrastructure - Supporting Cultural Event - Promotion of National Culture Municipality Municipalities -Awareness raising through workshops - Financing Cultural Projects - Provide Technical Support - Supporting Cultural Event - Promotion of National Culture

CSOs Civil Society -Creating socio-economic opportunities Organizations -Developing of Support Mechanism -Financing Cultural Projects - Supporting Cultural Event - Promotion of National Culture

Private Sector SMEs -Creating socio-economic opportunities - Developing of Support Mechanism - Financing Cultural Projects - Supporting Cultural Event

Academia/Public Culture - Awareness raising through workshops Professionals/Me - Financing Cultural Projects n -Generation of Studies - Promotion of National Culture

Village Communities -Awareness raising through workshops Citizens/Men/Wome - Developing of Support Mechanism n - Promotion of National Culture (Headman and his deputy) Children Local Institutions -Awareness raising through workshops -Developing of Support Mechanism -Financing Cultural Projects - Generation of Studies -Promotion of National Culture -Provide Technical Support - Supporting Cultural Event -Training and Capacity Building

Involvement in Tourism Gender Position Sarıkamış Kar Hotel M Personnel Chief Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M Kitchen Chief Kars Karabağ Hotel M Manager Kars Karabağ Hotel M Front Office Staff Toprak Hotel M F&B Kars Sim-Er Hotel M Manager Eylül Patiserie M F&B Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M Café Chief Sim-er Hotel M F&B Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M Security Chief TUREB (Turist Rehberleri Birliği - M Tour Guide Federation of Turkish Tourist Guide Associations) Kafkas University M Hospitality and Travel Services Teacher Kars-Sar-Tur A.Ş. M Mechanic Instruments Chief Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M Restaurant Chief M Student Grand Ani Hotel M Sourcing Manager Sarıkamış Teachershouse M Deputy Manager Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel F Housekeeper Çamkar Hotel M Restaurant Chief Sarıkamış Municipality M Deputy Mayor M Student Sim-er Hotel F F&B Grand Ani Hotel F Front Office M Student freelance M Guide Ocakbaşı Restaurant M F&B Grand Ani Hotel M Kitchen Chief M Student Sarıkamış Çamkar Hotel M Personnel Chief Kar Hotel F Front Office Sınır Tourism M Manager M Student Toprak Hotel M General Manager Kafkas University M Lecturer F Student Cilavuz Association M Board Member

20 Kafkas University F Hospitality and Travel Services Teacher Kars Karabağ Hotel M Housekeeping Chief Grand Castle Hotel M Sourcing Manager Ocakbaşı Restaurant M F&B Ocakbaşı Restaurant M F&B Ani Ocakbaşı Restaurant M Chief Sarıkamış Governorship M District Governor Kars Karabağ Hotel M Food Service Chief M Student Çamkar Hotel M Technical Manager Kars Güngören Hotel M Manager Çamkar Hotel M Housekeeping Kars Municipality F Deputy Mayor Sarıkamış Çamkar Hotel M Head Cook Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M Accounting Chief Kars Sim-Er Hotel F Staff Sim-er Hotel F F&B Active Women Entrepreneurs F President Association Grand Castle Hotel F Housekeeper M Student Provincial Directorate of Culture F Branch Director and Tourism Kar‟s Hotel/KARSOD M General Manager/President

Kızılay Hotel F Front Office Sarıkamış Social Facilities M Manager M Manager Grand Castle Hotel M Manager M Journalist Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M Saloon Chief Kar- Sar-Tur A.Ş. M Tourism Knowledge Teacher

SERHAT Development Agency - M Director of Planning Department SERKA Çevre Association M Board M Student Grand Castle Hotel M Front Office Manager Çamkar Hotel M General Manager KARSOD M Coordinator Boğatepe Life and Environment M Association Kafkas University M Academic

21 Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M Technical Chief Daghdash Tourism F Ticketing M Student Boğatepe Life and Environment M Project Coordinator Association Kafkas University M Instructor Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M Sourcing Manager Grand Castle Hotel M Deputy Manager Ani Ocakbasi Hotel M Owner Boğatepe Life and Environment M Cheese Producer Association Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M Front Office Chief Kafkas University M Lecturer F Student F Student Grand Ani Hotel M Manager Kızılay Hotel M Branch President KAR-SAR-TUR A. Ş. M Manager Kızılay Hotel M Manager Kafkas University M Lecturer Kars Sim-Er Hotel M Housekeeping Chief Sim-er Hotel F Front Office Daghdash Tourism M Manager Kars Kazevi Restaurant F Owner Kazevi Restaurant F Manager Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M Captain Kars Karabağ Hotel M Kızılay Hotel M Front Office Kızılay Hotel M Front Office Grand Castle Hotel M Restaurant Chief Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M F &B Manager F Student M Student Kafkas University M F & B Services Teacher Kars Kazevi Restaurant F Food Service Kafkas University M Deputy President Turkish Airlines M Sales Manager M Manager Kars Hotel M Cook Kars Women Entrepreneurs F President Association Sarıkamış Çamkar Hotel M Front Office Manager KARSOD F Tour Guide Sarıkamış Çamkar Hotel M Sourcing Manager 22 Ocakbaşı Restaurant M F&B Atatürk University - Erzurum F Admin Secretary Press M Reporter SME M Owner Ce-Mar Toprak Hotel M Mountains Café Responsible Provincial Directorate of Culture M Deputy Provincial Director

and Tourism

SERHAT Development Agency - M Expert SERKA Kars Culture and Art Association M President Ocakbaşı Restaurant M F&B Hotel Temel M Manager Kars Karabağ Hotel M Front Office Staff Kars Sim-Er Hotel M Head Cook Kars Sim-Er Hotel M Food Service Chief Grand Ani Hotel M Front Office Manager

e. Describe and assess how the joint programme and its development partners have addressed issues of social, cultural, political and economic inequalities during the implementation phase of the programme:

a. To what extent and in which capacities have socially excluded populations been involved throughout this programme?

Community capacities for cultural tourism created: JP has initiated a process of community articulation of the cultural sector around the touristic potentials of its cultural heritage. This means that a lot of effort has been devoted to build relationships between the private and cultural sectors at the local level. But also, and maybe most importantly, significant linkages and bridges have been created between local and national stakeholders. The JP contributed to strengthened capacities of the populations that are not traditionally included in the tourism sector, such as women. Women received entrepreneurship trainings as well as vocational training on tourism to be employed in the hotels, and other tourism facilities. Similarly, productive and income generating capacities of women were enhanced through the grant projects aiming at product development and increased market linkages. Two out of eight grant projects were directly managed by women‟s NGOs and women were the primary beneficiaries in at least two others.

b. Has the programme contributed to increasing the decision making power of excluded groups vis-a-vis policies that affect their lives? Has there been an increase in dialogue and participation of these groups with local and national governments in relation to these policies?

JP has made a significant contribution to raising the awareness of local and national stakeholders on the potential and value of Kars „cultural heritage. This awareness and the capacities built are expected to be pillars to sustain the development of sustainable cultural tourism in the future.

The United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP) “Alliances for Culture Tourism in Eastern Anatolia” is framed within the Culture and Development thematic window of the MDG-Fund to contribute to poverty reduction through the mobilization of cultural heritage in the Kars province (with a population of 300,000). The aim of the programme was to safeguard tangible and intangible cultural heritage and develop capacities of communities and enterprises for income generation and job creation in the field of cultural tourism. Particular efforts were made to ensure full and equal

23 participation of women in the JP activities and benefits.

c. Has the programme and it development partners strengthened the organization of citizen and civil society groups so that they are better placed to advocate for their rights? If so how? Please give concrete examples.

UN Joint Program contributed to the realization of MDG-1 at a localized level by addressing Turkey‟s regional developmental disparities. In specific, the joint program designed to develop the cultural tourism sector in Kars contributing to social cohesion by recognizing pluralism and by reducing income disparities between the people of Kars and the rest of the country. Consequently, the joint programme aimed at contributing to the tourism development policies implemented within the framework of social (cohesion) integration policies (Country Program Outcome 2.1.2, UNDAF) by recognizing pluralism, dialogue of cultures and the establishment of a culture of peace in Eastern Anatolia and with peoples of neighboring countries. Therefore, it is difficult to mention a socially excluded population considering the design and target group of the project. It is given special care to reach and involve various civil societies in every phase of the initiatives regarding their interest in Kars Province as it was the pilot city. The NGO‟s area of interest varied from art, culture, women involved in culinary tradition, sustainable tourism, and tourism for disabled, associations of investors, hoteliers, restaurants etc. For example the Association of Hoteliers and Restaurants in Kars cooperated for the training programmes concerning the production and performance of traditional instruments in order to contribute to the safeguarding a value of their province. Through the implementation of one of the grant programme, a lady was supported to develop a business on goose breeding and marketing. In addition, another grant programme served to help to the villagers of Boğatepe to establish a cheese museum through the contribution and technical guidance provided by UNJP. The ICH research carried out by the Kafkas University allowed reaching 81 provinces in Kars which are also direct beneficiaries of the project. It can be considered as a proof that the partners are not limited to the central Kars but also environs and through the activities held within the neighbouring provinces the activities are spread into the region and reached beyond expectations. Gender equity was considered as apriority in all initiatives. Women were given special attention and support to take responsibility, to develop capacity and contribute to the programme. The children were involved within the project itself. Consequently, the importance is also given to the children to improve their capabilities and interest.

It is believed that the programme and partners strengthened the organization of citizen and civil society groups enabling them to better advocate for their rights; examples are listed below:

- Participants of the English Language Course decided to jointly apply for a loan with a bank for a tourism-related SME in Kars: it is planned to open a café and offer tours in the city center. This project is still under progress.

- One participant of the SME advisory service from Sarıkamış cooperated with a hotel manager in Sarıkamış. When the Development Agency brought experts to determine the routes for adventure tours in Sarıkamış, this cooperation presented local ownership. The participant will open his camping area in the summertime. - An association was founded in Sarıkamış named Free Thought Association (Hür Düşünce Derneği). The founding members of the Association stated that the main goal of this NGO will be to realize sustainable tourism in Sarikamis throughout the year.

- Kars Women Entrepreneurs Association applied successfully for the funds provided by MoCT for a project on production of handmade dolls as tourist souvenirs.

- Active Women Entrepreneurs Association participated in a workshop in the Netherlands on production of local bread and cheese. They are planning to cooperate with Kars Municipality to own a small factory and shop to produce and sell local tastes to tourists. This activity is still being processed.

d. To what extent has the programme (whether through local or national level interventions) contributed to improving the lives of socially excluded groups?

JP addressed the culture and cultural tourism as the basis of development and social cohesion. JP has also allowed for the generation of a genuine and innovative interdisciplinary approach, linking policies to practice and contributing to bringing reliable answers to community-driven priorities. In order to foster socio-economic development and to promote social cohesion while contributing to the achievement of the MDGs, the JP has, on the whole, aimed to build strong institutions, empower civil society, and create pro-poor income-generating activities building on cultural assets. Within this framework, the cultural domains covered by the JP has included the main culture-based economic sectors, ranging from tangible and intangible heritage to performance and celebration, visual arts and crafts, books and press, media, design and tourism. Indeed, the JP has sought to make use of the economic value of culture with a view to impact on a range of economic sectors. Moreover, they have used cultural heritage, in all its forms, to enhance dialogue and strengthen social cohesion. To this end, the main objectives of the JP can be synthesized in the following categories:

 strengthening of institutional capacity  promotion of the inter-cultural dialogue  development of culture-based economic activities  preservation and promotion of national heritage  improvement of population‟s participation to cultural life  development of cultural tourism

f. Describe the extent of the contribution of the joint programme to the following categories of results:

a. Paris Declaration Principles

 Leadership of national and local governmental institutions The involvement of public cultural institutions has been highly coherent to the main objectives of the JP as it was an important pre-condition to build a strong institutional framework, and as it underlines the attention paid by the JP to strengthening institutions and paving the ground for enhancing policies and management of national and local cultural assets. The importance of this aspect relies on the premise that social and economic development requires strong institutions to be sustainable.

Associating national and local authorities in the different phases of the programme not only ensures internal coherence, but moreover obtains commitments for a multi-sectoral, concerted and coordinated long-term policy strategy. In order for culture to work for development, political will needs to be mobilized, including for example government policies at various levels; policies of cultural institutions; education policies; policies of the institutions of civil society and policies relating to cultural participation and consumption.

The JP is characterized by a highly participatory process followed throughout the JP life which constantly involved 6 public cultural institutions (including 2 Ministries and 2 Universities), local and regional authorities (particularly of the Kars province), 30 representatives of the private sector (tourism sector and sub-sectors such as restaurants, hotels, travel agencies etc.), 11 civil society representatives (associations and NGOs), and 4 international partners (strong synergy among activities implemented by UNWTO, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP).

Conscious of the importance of stakeholder ownership, numerous consultative meetings were held, and synergies and networks were created and initiatives were undertaken to build a common sense of purpose among key stakeholders of the JP, all of which greatly contributed

25 to enhance the ownership of national stakeholders. Similarly, the participatory methodology of the field research on intangible heritage undertaken in 80 villages, as well as the awareness- raising initiatives through local and national media, contributed to enhancing the ownership of the JP actions by the local population of the targeted area.

Beside this, the actions carried out to reinforce institutional capacities have paved the ground for future sustainability. A significant example of this has been the establishment of the Tourism Governance Organization, created by a public-private partnership which is important in terms of creating a permanent institution and its potential to build networks for future collaborations. The JP has indeed been able to generate new networks involving national authorities, international development agencies, civil society and local authorities. In this context, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has represented an important link by collaborating with local authorities towards the realization of their activities and assisting them in raising funds. An agreement has also been established between the Minstrel Association, the Municipality of Kars and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in order to define the roles and responsibilities of each partner.

The strengthening of the institutional capacity has been key in order to assist in creating an enabling environment for tourism development in the Kars province. The JP fostered increasing knowledge capacities of the tourism sector, as well as new management and action plans and a higher awareness of the cultural potentialities, all of which are indispensable preconditions for the improvement of policies and regulatory frameworks. In turn, the latter are fundamental in creating favourable preconditions which render private initiatives effective. The tourism strategy with 33 tourism products prepared for Kars provided a model for Turkey‟s less developed regions and official requests regarding the application of similar action in neighboring provinces have already been received.

 Involvement of CSO and citizens The JP has also engaged civil society, NGOs and civil associations, operating at a local level, at each step of the JP life. This is crucial to guarantee both ownership and bottom-up development strategies as well as sustained actions. Indeed, these actors possess the necessary tools and knowledge to spread the JP‟ benefits across local population and groups.

JP has contributed towards improving the managerial skills of tourism service providers, creating tools for heritage promotion, and providing cultural operators with training and courses which help towards preparing for international tourism. For instance, the Grant Scheme launched by the JP and benefiting institutions from the civil society and the private sector such as Kars Hoteliers and Restaurants Association, Kars Goose Breeders Association, Kars Culture and Art Foundation, was identified by most stakeholders as an efficient action for its direct effect on income generation and therefore its direct potential to reduce poverty in Kars (MDG 1) as well as for its efforts to mainstream gender and to reach women entrepreneurs (MDG 3). For example, the traditional instrument ("saz" and "tar") making and performing training programme created great interest in the younger generation and will be pursued beyond the JP. Moreover, great attention has been paid to enhance the tourism sector by attracting new tourists and visitors thanks to a number of promotional and marketing products and initiatives.

Finally, more than one third of the total beneficiaries of the JP belong to the private sector. In particular, 1,150 persons employed in cultural industries and firms have benefited from the JP, among which approximately 50% have been women. This has also had an indirect effect on their families, advantaging an approximate 5,300 additional persons. Moreover, given that the economy is a network of backward and forward linkages through the value-chain, the development of the tourism sector may indirectly benefit the population living and working in the center of Kars (around 5,000 persons). Looking ahead, the JP activities have set the ground for potentially new economic incentives to flourish alongside an increase in tourism and the

26 potential creation of new small and medium firms - such as hotels, restaurants, shops and so on.

 Alignment and harmonization Joint implementation has led to a myriad of successes which bring to light the enormous importance that culture has for human, social and economic development at the national level. It is important to pinpoint the success factors which knit together a series of actions/activities illustrating the added value and complementarily of culture when undertaking development activities.

Workers of cultural firms and industries as well as artisans and tourism operators have been supported through trainings, conferences, documentation, and financial and economic opportunities. New employment opportunities in cultural industries have been created, human capital and population‟s skills have been potentiated, artisans and craftsmen have been supported and linked to national and international markets, civil associations have been financially and technically sustained and cultural institutions have been strengthened.  Innovative elements in mutual accountability (justify why these elements are innovative)

JP has been linking the support of creative industries mainly in the cultural and tourism sectors, but also in the field of crafts, to the creation of new workplaces. In addition, results also indicate a facilitation and support of recruitment processes or an increase in the percentage of women employees. Also linked with MDG 1 achievements, is the different ways of raising awareness about various aspects considered to be important by the JP, such as for example the relationship between culture and development, the importance of the work undertaken by governments and the UN, the need to innovate and work in synergy across different sectors, the impact of culture and art on development, the relevance of certain ancient traditions and their safeguarding. These results apply to different levels: awareness-raising at the government level, social level, or as regards the cultural sector, artistic sector, traditional sectors and development cooperation sector. The JP also indicates that MDG 1-related achievements can be closely interlinked with issues of empowering various groups, namely of empowering civil society and in particular community leaders and artists, as well as strengthening public administration.

b. Delivering as One

 Role of Resident Coordinator Office and synergies with other MDG-F joint programmes  Innovative elements in harmonization of procedures and managerial practices (justify why these elements are innovative)  Joint United Nations formulation, planning and management

III. GOOD PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED

a. Report key lessons learned and good practices that would facilitate future joint programme design and implementation

The success stories identified as tangibly illustrate how JP has contributed to specific national needs and priorities, while at the same time being characterized by an added value for the region. Often highlighting its multifaceted contribution to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), these success stories illustrate the capacity of the JP to trigger results and to give birth to perspectives going far beyond the local and at times even national border, through combining organizational and managerial skills-building for national and local authorities, promoting intercultural dialogue,

27 addressing women, children and youth as priority target groups and consolidating the comparative advantage of the UN Organizations' expertise and intervention in the region. The success stories entail the promise of serving as an example and an inspiration to other stakeholders and interested parties.

In the framework of the JP, a success story has been defined as a set of actions that result in a desired outcome based on collectively supported values that can be replicated in different contexts. It aims not only to Objectives: communicate and showcase specific elements of the JP but also serves as a tool to crystallize memory and transfer  Helping peers to advance their knowledge in order to better inform and improve future knowledge, skills and values and programmes on culture and development. Out of many to assimilate culture through social, other success stories some of them were chosen in order to cultural, educative, scientific, sportive and artistic activities. highlight their activities.  Ensuring that peers develop as self-confident individuals capable Children Museum training modules and Children of thinking systematically and Museum rooms in Kars and Erzurum creatively, taking initiative, conducting work in a planned way and expressing feelings and Background: sentiments in aesthetic forms. The Museum Training Programme was developed in  Encouraging peers to think cooperation with the Ankara University Education Faculty, creative and critically and to the Prime Ministry Social Services and Child Protection research by ensuring efficient Agency (SHÇEK), the Ministry of Culture and Tourism utilization of tools and instruments, resources and time and to develop (MoCT) and UNICEF, whose goal is to include children‟s a taste for arts. perspectives in the UN Joint Programme (JP) process and  Enhancing the aesthetic sensitivity contribute to the overall JP goals with children. Some of peers by providing them children participating in the Museum Training Programme opportunities to capitalize on are also members of the Provincial Child Rights Committee their own experience and interact with their environment and are training their friends in their own provinces as “peer during the activities. trainers.” The training programme aims to implement the  Whilst being spaces where special training module prepared during the museum historical assets are preserved and training process. It is the first "peer to peer museum exhibited, museums are also active learning centres where visitors module" in Turkey which gives the opportunity to have may have fun and obtain a variety interactive training in the children museum rooms. of information while cruising.  Learning in a museum includes to The Children Museum Training Programme encourages investigate and learn and to find children to use national and cultural assets, understand the responses to individuals‟ curiosities importance of the concepts of peace and tolerance, to know with the guidance of the trainer. that their use is a right, and develop awareness regarding that information through peer training in museums. In April 2011, a second Children‟s Museum Room opened in Erzurum.

Before this activity, most of the province did not have any children museum training and there were no children museum rooms in Eastern Anatolia.

Children Museum Training Modules could be used in other Provinces of Turkey and a methodology and the Children Museum Rooms will be the first models for the Eastern Anatolia Region.

Process: Museum Trainings delivered in eight cities with the participation of more than 500 children and 100 adults. The “Child Museum Training Module” which will be used as a key document for upcoming museum training activities, has been prepared and tested. Two children museum rooms – the first in this region - were established in the Eastern Anatolia of Turkey a may be a module for other regions and cities. The direct beneficiaries are Children Rights Committees, Social Services and Child Protection Agency, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Provincial Directorate of Social Services, Provincial Directorate of Education, Directorate of Museums.

28 Outcomes: Museum training modules developed as a replicable model to the other provinces and regions of Turkey. They comprise a training content which can be adapted to every museum. The project aimed to enable participants to acquire the following skills; training and learning in museums, leadership, respect for differences, communication and social skills, motivation, awareness training, training in human rights and the rights of the child, training in children‟s involvement, training in cultural heritage, training in cultural awareness, training in creative thinking, and tolerance training. A creative drama method was frequently used during the training and it was particularly effective in helping participants to learn while entertaining.

Support to the safeguarding and promotion of cultural diversity and cultural heritage, with a special focus on intangible cultural heritage and the diversity of cultural expressions

Background The JP provided concrete contributions to the safeguarding and promotion of the Minstrelsy Tradition, inscribed in 2009 in UNESCO‟s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This was achieved through the realisation of a series of complementary activities. The methodology used to supporting the Minstrelsy Tradition for transmission through written form, creating a platform for the making and performing of traditional instruments, contributing to promotion, and providing a culture house, all formed a solid basis for further activities.

While 20% of the audience of this tradition is female, the Minstrelsy tradition is mostly practiced by men as it is an art associated with travelling, and very few women, not more than 5, are associated with the tradition. These women are mainly from Sivas, Çorum and Eskişehir and not from Kars. Through the JP, women from Kars will be both exposed to this tradition and also encouraged to learn and practice it. The most important component of this initiative was the establishment of the Culture House, and the memorandum of understanding signed for this purpose between the Municipality of Kars and the Minstrels Association which will ensure the continuity and sustainability of related activities beyond the end of the project. Along the same line, the JP supported the preparation and publishing of a book on Eastern Anatolian Folk Tales, which will allow to further promote and safeguard oral traditions as a distinctive feature of the local intangible cultural heritage.

Process The need to promote this tradition has been defined through research carried out by the Kafkas University and the experts of MoCT within JP. The definition of the tradition was also very important in order to ensure the interest of the local authorities and communities.

The JP allowed to: organise an international festival of minstrels with widespread participation and visibility; produce an audio CD of selected performances of local minstrels; launch training activities on the making and performance of traditional musical instruments, “saz” and “tar”; creating the conditions for the establishment of a Culture House in Kars, intended for the use of International Festival of Minstrels (120 Minstrels; 5 women Minstrel, and an audience of 5000 in Kars, Kağızman and Sarıkamış). These activities are successfully held thanks to the effective cooperation of the MoCT with the Municipality of Kars and the active involvement of the local Minstrel Association.

Outcomes This comprehensive approach to the safeguarding of the tradition and model to support local and national authorities, particularly for the elements inscribed in UNESCO‟s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity are both a success story and a good practice The modality of cooperation, namely the agreement between a Local Association and Municipality, and series of complementary activities can easily be replicated in other contexts and provinces of Turkey.

 A good cooperation model was established  The ownership from local communities and authorities was ensured  The overall experience may serve as a model for the establishment of other culture houses and the creation of platforms for different traditions in different contexts.  The Municipality of Sivas and the Municipality of Kars have formulated requests for the same 29 kind of implementation.

Technical Assistance and support of the mapping of intangible culture in Kars and its environs Background: An awareness-raising workshop was held in Kars (Sarikamis) aimed at informing the relevant institutions and stakeholders from the Eastern Anatolian Provinces on the concept of intangible cultural heritage and the preparation of an inventory of this heritage under the coordination of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT). The preparation of the national inventory of intangible cultural heritage is a long-term and dynamic process under the responsibility and authority of the MoCT. Therefore, the inception phase of this initiative was important in order to define an appropriate partner who would collaborate with the MoCT to carry out the work.

The stakeholders at the inception phase were the Culture and Tourism Offices of 13 Eastern Turkey provinces, NGO's and Kafkas University. However, during the implementation phase of the field research, Kafkas University was the main partner. Field research for the mapping of the ICH in the province of Kars completed by Kafkas University, under the supervision of MoCT covered 83 villages; 50 students from Integrating intangible Kafkas University (50% women, 50% men) were involved and cultural heritage assets trained. Approximately 7,000 pages of data transcriptions, into sustainable 2,000 photographs, and 260 video recording were collected. programmes of tourism development: Process: Bearing in mind that the preparation of the national inventory of intangible cultural heritage is a long-term and  Field research for the dynamic process under the responsibility and authority of the mapping of the ICH MoCT and considering the short time available for the in the province of implementation of the JP, it was decided that the JP activities Kars completed by related to Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) would consist in Kafkas University, the identification and mapping of the main intangible cultural under the supervision assets in the Kars province, to be prepared and implemented in of MoCT, covered 83 cooperation with the MoCT, the University of Kafkas, and villages; UNESCO. The research undertaken is being considered for publication and diffused to a large number of Universities in  50 students from Turkey (141), cooperation with academia is also contemplated. Kafkas University (50% women, 50% Outcomes: The completion of the field research on ICH of the men) involved and Kars Province, with a view to completing the mapping of the trained. local ICH in its diverse forms of expressions, will contribute to raise awareness on ICH as an integral part of the local cultural  Approximately 7000 asset. Furthermore, the research will offer a necessary reference pages of data in the future for activities aiming at the safeguarding and transcriptions, 2000 viability of this heritage, as well as for its inclusion into photographs, 260 sustainable and responsible programmes of tourism video recording development. collected.

Grant Scheme Programme for Kars Tourism Initiatives Background According to the progress of the activities and feedback from the local stakeholders UNDP in the scope of UNJP team formulated a grant scheme programme as “Local Economic Development Initiatives for Tourism Development (LDITD) in Kars”. The objective of the programme was “to support small scale infrastructural and organizational efforts that will meet the immediate requirements for further development of the Tourism Industry in Kars for Culture, Winter and Nature Tourism” Within this scope, eight projects were implemented under the support scheme for tourism development. The list of projects was as below: - CRYSTAL SNOWPARK AT 2400 METERs ALTITUDE - SUSTAINABLE KARS GOOSE PROJECT - OUR ASSET IS NATURE, OUR HOME IS PENSION - THE CHARM OF KARS ON 3 ROUTES -INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING OF KARSOD (KARS HOTELS AND RESTAURANT OWNERS ASSOCIATION) - CHEESE MUSEUM - FELT FROM PAST TO PRESENT - KARS DOLLS AND KNICK KNACKS The grant projects were instrumental in providing seed funding for potential initiatives targeting tourism development.

Lessons Learnt: • Timing should be well concerned and planned. • National ownership and coordination, strong local participation and civic engagement are the key factors determining the achievement of the programme outcomes. • Ownership of the local stakeholders and joint planning and strategy development with the participation of the local partners at all stages, including preparatory phase is critical. • Developing a strong common communication strategy for JP should be achieved to ensure a consistent understanding about the JP particularly at the local level • Questionnaires should be developed at various activities (e.g. training programs) to reassure monitoring and evaluation of the activities and their impacts; • Media relations can be more developed and systematic; • Be aware at an early stage: JP is designed and developed jointly and joint work takes time: • JP preparation/approval/programme starting process is too long that existing conditions may not exist when the implementation begins, • Ensure that JP‟s priorities and aims are the priorities of the beneficiaries • More interactions with national and local partners during the preparation process can facilitate better implementation • Duration of the project is usually short at the designing phase. It should be at least three years or more depending upon the difficulty of subject • Ensure clear annotation of budget lines • Be aware at an early stage there may be a need for the revision of project document • Receive detailed information in the programme document 31 • Problems in programme design and content may appear • Check initial indicators to make available evaluation and monitoring

b. Report on any innovative development approaches as a result of joint programme implementation Business Advisory Services conducted to M/SMEs in Kars Province on the basis of giving one-to-one direct practical advice. This methodology was chosen in order to adjust the advice to individual businesses and make it thereby highly efficient. Furthermore, when organizing capacity building related to quality standards, training had been undertaken by directly cooperating with the Ministry, in order to ensure that the taught quality standards are conform to national standards.

Museum training modules developed as a replicable model to the other provinces and regions of Turkey. They comprise a training content which can be adapted to every museum.

The Site Management Planning is a newly introduced subject for Turkey. The first legal arrangement has been introduced in 2004 and a regulation has been prepared and announced in 2005. An innovative methodology as the "Ani Site Management Plan Development Framework " is a result of a wide participatory approach and it will be prepared through its own team without a need for tender process. A first time experience for MoCT after the new legislative framework of 2005. The ownership from local communities and authorities confirmed. The overall experience may serve as a model for the establishment of management plans in different sites in Turkey leaded by MoCT without a need for a tender process. Supporting the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage as a Pillar of Cultural Diversity, A first time experience and model for cooperation with MoCT and a local university for the mapping of the main Intangible Cultural Assets in a province. An innovative methodology for learning about the intangible heritage concept and at the same time contributing to the identification of the local IC assets involving the young generation. The overall experience may serve as a model for new researches carried out through Universities in cooperation with local and national authorities. The collected data will serve as a contribution to local and national inventories. Identification of the tradition to be supported and design training programmes defined. This initiative raised awareness among local communities about their intangible cultural assets of their province. MoCT to considered the safeguarding of this tradition as a priority. A basis for further activities created through the methodology used in supporting the Minstrelsy Tradition in means of; transmission in written form, creating platform for the making and performing traditional instruments, contribution to promotion, providing a culture house. This comprehensive approach to the safeguarding of the tradition and the model to support for local and national authorities particularly for the elements inscribed in the Representative List of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity can be defined as a good practice. This modality of cooperation such as the agreement between a Local Association and Municipality, and series of complementary activities can easily be replicated in other contexts and provinces of Turkey.

c. Indicate key constraints including delays (if any) during programme implementation a. Internal to the joint programme

The design of the JP detailed and changes happened during the inception phase. The team, under the leadership of UNDP, took the time from March/April 2009 to May 2009 to do a thorough review of the JP using the platform to engage all key stakeholders. Approval process of the Tourism Master Plan took longer than planned.

32 b. External to the joint programme

Because of the reformulation of the JP the inception report was completed 5 months later in May 2009 (inception phase). The Mayor and the Governor of Kars who were involved during the conceptualization phase (from concept paper to signature of the document) changed before the JP got signed, therefore additional time was needed to ensure their involvement in the JP. A number of activities and strategies, as they were defined in the original project document, were too imprecise to be implemented and therefore needed to be reformulated. This was particularly acute in those activities implemented by UNWTO. Thirdly, some of those strategies were outdated until approval and commencement of the UNJP. For example, the Ani Site Management Plan envisaged in the original document the setting up of an advisory board that the MoCT had already established when the project was signed in November 2008.

c. Main mitigation actions implemented to overcome these constraints

During the process of the redefinition of the components of the JP the ownership of national stakeholders increased significantly. The process involved countless and painful meetings and negotiations but as a whole, this inception period is regarded as highly valuable and beneficial for the Programme. The design improved significantly although the definition of the activities still remained largely imprecise.

The JP provided a number of frequent spaces which allows information flows among UN agencies. Frequent travels were scheduled from Ankara to Kars and vice versa. Also, the entire team met weekly in a telephone conference that is rated very well as a tool to share information. These communication mechanisms were instrumental in ensuring a smooth coordination between partner agencies, particularly considering that the activities were all interdependent.

d. Describe and assess how the monitoring and evaluation function has contributed to the: a. Improvement in programme management and the attainment of development results

The coordination among the UN agencies in this Joint Programme was particularly challenging mainly due to the geographical spread of the main partners with two out of four UN implementing agencies as nonresident, one located in Venice and another in Madrid. Additionally, there was a site team naturally located in Kars that had to coordinate with the UN colleagues working in Ankara. Despite these challenges the coordination had been successful. In general, the coordination with government and other national stakeholders was very high. These are the key factors for this success.

b. Improvement in transparency and mutual accountability

The JP is extraordinarily inclusive, for instance, the Programme Management Committee was composed of more than 30 stakeholders who met regularly. During the course of the evaluation it was apparent that the PMC was a valid place where a variety of stakeholder‟s voices were heart. The PMC had became a large and transparent melting pot. All members were treated with equal deference and respect. Apart from the PMC there are several other venues of exchange both in Ankara and in Kars. At the local level, the coordination meetings facilitated by the Programme were regarded by local authorities to have disciplined the coordination dynamics among the tourism sector.

c. Increasing national capacities and procedures in M&E and data

The JP includes a high number of workshops and training programmes. During the course of the evaluation these programmes had M&E systems intended to measure the quality of the trainings. 33

The Study Tour to Spain was a valid means to create a common sense of purpose among key stakeholders of the JP particularly those from Kars. Most significantly, it contributed greatly to enhancing the ownership of national stakeholders.

d. To what extent was the mid-term evaluation process useful to the joint programme?

The mid-term evaluation was useful to determine what had been achieved during the implementation and how this progress related to the goals of the JP. It also aimed to generate substantive knowledge on the MDG-F thematic window of Culture and Development by identifying best practices and lessons learned that could be useful to other development interventions at national and international level. It also analysed the worth and merit of the Joint Programme‟s design and process of implementation. The mid-term evaluation focused on assessing the implementation status, measuring outputs, and estimating development results and potential impacts generated by the Joint Programme. Also based on the recommendation of the mid-term evaluation exit strategy and improvement plan was prepared for future.

a. Describe and assess how the communication and advocacy functions have contributed to the: a. Improve the sustainability of the joint programme At the beginning of the Joint Programme a communications strategy was developed. This strategy consisted visibility, awareness raising and advocacy dimensions. The Joint Programme saw the national and local ownership as the main assurance of the sustainability. Therefore communication activities were planned and implemented according to this point. The national partner of the Joint Programme was the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT). In order to maintain the national ownership all the communication activities or products either developed or implemented together or at least with coordination with the MoCT. The communication activities along with all the other activities of the Joint Programme, designed according to the national strategies developed by the MoCT. On local level, local stakeholders (both in public and private sector) and local media have been informed regularly and /or included the implementation process. Also it was emphasized that the Joint Programme and its values actually theirs. In all the printed, published, verbal material that were produced by the Joint Programme an informative paragraph was repeated (That was: The Joint Programme was designed according to the national strategies of Turkey and the MoCT is the national owner of the Joint Programme. And the sustainability of the Joint Programme would be built and maintained only with national and local ownership) Some communication activities (such as the info tour for national media and tour operators) designed and implemented by local stakeholders. And they participated in some others, like the international tourism fairs in Istanbul (EMITT), Moscow (MITT) and Berlin (ITB). b. Improve the opportunities for scaling up or replication of the joint programme or any of its components

Within the three years of implementation of the UN Joint Programme, various activities were realized under several headings: Training and Capacity Enhancement, Income Generation and Job Creation, Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage, Promotion, Strategy and Planning and Cultural Heritage and Tourism from the Children‟s Perspective. Within the scope of Cultural Heritage and Tourism from the Children‟s Perspective component Joint Programme developed a museum training programme and a training kit that consist of 5 books. Moreover as a part of this component Turkey‟s firs children‟s museum rooms were opened in Kars

34 and the neighbouring city Erzurum. MoCT. The museum training kit distributed to different schools and museum in Turkey by the MoCT. The children‟s museum rooms will be opened in other cities, Within the scope of Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage (tangible and intangible) component a set of brochure about the safeguarding of cultural assets were published and distributed to the museums in 81 provinces of Turkey by the Ministry. Participation to the international tourism fairs broadened the vision of the locals and will continue in the upcoming years. A set of four new tourism brochures were prepared and published in order to promote Kars‟ tourism potential and delivered to the MoCT.

The JP is currently scaled up with a new initiative developed between UNDP and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism aiming to develop the capacities of the MoCT and other relevant actors to plan and implement sustainable/community based tourism. This initiative is based on the experiences and lessons learned in this JP and the Eastern Anatolia Tourism Development Project implemented jointly with MoCT and UNDP. Such scaling up will focus on capacity building at enabling environment level (particularly for legislative framework and to better identify roles and responsibility of various Ministries) and institutional level (particularly for MoCT and relevant local actors engaged in tourism). The MoCT is also willing to replicate this JP in other parts of Turkey, and to develop new similar projects where they will engage in a similar structure.

c. Providing information to beneficiaries/right holders

Programme Management Committee (PMC) meetings were held every three months during the course of the Joint Programme. In each PMC meeting all the participants (MoCT representatives, partnering UN Agencies, local stakeholders and public and private sector representatives) were informed about the communication activities of the Joint Programme. Moreover, press releases and bulletins were shared with the local media on a regular basis. Also Joint Programme web site regularly updated with the news, reports, publications, photos etc.

b. Please report on scalability of the joint programme and/or any of its components a. To what extend has the joint programme assessed and systematized development results with the intention to use as evidence for replication or scaling up the joint programme or any of its components? The involvement of relevant Departments of MoCT as well as the relationship of MoCT with local actors has been assessed as very effective by the national counterparts. b. Describe example, if any, of replication or scaling up that are being undertaken

c. Describe the joint programme exit strategy and asses how it has improved the sustainability of the joint program Below is the Sustainability note prepared in the JP.

Introduction

The JP primarily aims to contribute to poverty reduction through building capacities leveraging cultural tourism and mobilization of cultural heritage in the Kars province by safeguarding tangible and intangible cultural heritage and developing capacities of communities and enterprises for income generation and job creation in the field of tourism. The primary beneficiaries are the citizens and local authorities of Kars, who are/could be involved in cultural tourism activities or related sectors. In order to reach this aim the JP intended to create the conditions (tools and platform) for all stakeholders to develop local tourism in the mid-term.

In this JP, additional efforts have been made to ensure that women benefit equally from the activities. Women have been particularly encouraged and supported to undertake economic activities and create sustainable income generating activities gain economic benefits. The JP also aims to contribute to social cohesion by recognizing pluralism and cultural diversity, and by reducing income disparities between people of Kars and the rest of the country.

The programme is structured to enhance the capacities of national and local stakeholders for the safeguarding and management of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, as well as for the definition and implementation of a strategy to develop on tourism and related income generation activities.

This document is prepared to indicate the actions during the termination phase of the JP, as an exit strategy to sustain the JP‟s achievements, outcomes and results, as well as to verify the possible diffusion or scaling-up of the good practices developed during the programme. The proposed actions especially focus on the transfer of ownership from the JP partners to the stakeholders and beneficiaries, at both central and local levels (e.g. Ministry of Culture and Tourism, local authorities, private sector, SERKA Development Agency, etc.). The main objectives during this period shall be to ensure and/or contribute to:

 Sustainability of outcomes  Sustainability of policies/strategies  Institutional sustainability  Sustainability of processes

The document also addresses the activities successfully carried out between period of 31 July 2011 and 31 December 2011 as well as the activities that will be carried out between 31 December 2011 and 31 March 2012.

The table below indicates the main features and potentials of each achievement, actions related to fortify the achievement towards ensuring their sustainability, main assumptions and risks which the sustainability of the achievements depends on. Sustainability of each action is being indicated whether it leads to sustaining the outcomes, and/or financial and institutional sustainability.

Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy

36 Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Development Software Exit actions The system of a model for programme will focus on: will ensure an the activated for - ensuring efficient and sustainable the the effective management management effective monitoring of tangible of the installatio and the cultural digitized n of the implementatio heritage, by information, procured n of means of the and training hardware conservation, digitization provided to compone renovation, of data on build nts implementatio conservation, capacities of - ensuring n, repair monitoring relevant the permit, Complet and users/authorit activation building use ed supervision of ies (MoCT, of the permit, registered Provincial system observation, sites and Directorate of and its inspection, immovable Culture and proper licensing and cultural and Tourism in functioni project natural assets Kars and ng management in the Erzurum, - support activities in province of Kars the relation to the Kars Governorate, further registered sites Kars developm and assets. Museum and ent of the other relevant system institutions.) users‟ Hardware capacities system and technical The ArcGIS components system has to be installed been installed at the Kars newly Preservation established Council. Kars Preservation The creation Council and of the further software and trainings automated completed x x x system for Proper use the creation and function of digital data will be on followed by conservation, regular monitoring reporting to and MoCT supervision of cultural and natural assets in the province of Kars provides the relevant authorities with an effective tool for the effective management of cultural assets, which is a necessary condition for 37 the development Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy The activity Additional Brochures Production of does not copies will be a set of 7 present reproduced widely used brochures for special by UNJP. The in Turkey. the promotion concerns in JP and terms of encouraged awareness sustainabilit MoCT to Completed raising on the y; The tool continue with legislative is available the and and ready dissemination normative for use. So of the framework far, the brochures. for the brochures The JP safeguarding were proposed of cultural distributed MoCT to heritage in to the cooperate Turkey. museums, with Ministry tourism of Education x x information in order to centers and use the all relevant brochures places all within the over schools. Turkey. The graphic files and all materials for the reproductio n of the brochures have been already transferred to the MoCT.

38 Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Ani Site A road map The JP The head of Management towards the continued to Ani Site Framework completion of support the Management developed and the Ani MoCT for the and Head of approved by management finalization of Excavation Ministry plan is ready, the Draft have to be and the first Management appointed by draft Plan and MoCT, in Management presentation order to ensure Plan is about to the approval of to be stakeholders the draft site completed. to receive the management contributions plan. UNJP A training and support programme comments for complet has also been This activity the final ed, implemented version to be impleme to develop represents a officially ntation capacity of approved. of the relevant model/good The JP Plan by stakeholders assisted the on the practice to be MoCT in MoCT management completing In of cultural possibly the procedure Progress heritage sites for the and the replicated at official preparation approval of of different sites the Plan, as a management necessary plans. in Turkey. prerequisite Participants for its validity from the and future The site is Ministry of implementati under the Culture and on. 5+5 years management Tourism, excavation and control of Regional programme MoCT, which Government will be carries out and and other prepared in coordinates the relevant 2012 by excavation as institutions MoCT and well as the benefited x x x x coordinated conservation from the with Ani Site works. training, Management which Funds for this Plan. included

preparation purpose have of work-

plans; been so far

delineation of

roles and allocated

responsibiliti

es; and regularly each modalities of cooperation year. in implementing However, the site management plan. MoCT‟s The updated institutional archaeologica l plan of Ani structure could has been fully integrated in be changed 39 the new software and fund Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Tourism A complete 1.Budget Legal Strategy qualitative will be Framework 1. Co Document for and developed will not mpl Kars is quantitative together available for eted available and audit of with MoCT the approved by Kars and SERKA establishment the Ministry Province Developmen of TGO in of Culture and tourism t Agency short term. Tourism dated facilities review 22 December and funding Change in the 2010. The services sources etc. political and report was carried sectoral includes a out. MoCT policies that Diagnostic reserved may risk the Report which Tourism funds for validity of the evaluates the potential of culture and Strategy in the potential of cultural winter future. tourism tourism tourism. Ani development assets Site in Kars, a (tangible Environmen Master Plan and tal Plan, Ani with intangible) Site recommendati based on Preservation ons for the UNESCO‟s Plan, sustainable identificatio restoration development n and projects of of tourism in evaluation monuments Kars based on assessed. in the Ani culture, nature Site, and winter The infrastructur sports tourism institutional e projects products, and, capacity for an Action assessment Sarıkamış Plan for the was carried Winter implementatio out and the Resort was 2. Co n of the possible integrated mpl Master Plan structure of into the eted recommendati a Tourism investment . ons. Governance plan. Organizatio n (TGO) SERKA elaborated. Developmen t Agency Market has been x x x x profile, launching trends and grant opportunitie programmes s of tourism for the assessed. developmen 3. In A survey of t of tourism Pro selected in Kars. gres internationa s. l and 2. Four set of national tourism tour brochures operators (General, on current Culture, and Nature and potential Winter), interest of provided to Kars as a MOCT and tourism Kars destination authorities to was post on their 40 conducted. websites. 3. In Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Promotion Capacity 1. A manual Information and building for the use center will be 1. Co Marketing activities on of existing established. mpl Strategy promotion Tourist eted and Information . information Centers in delivery Kars with local Province stakeholder prepared s and within the government Tourism al Master Plan. representati ves were undertaken 2. during the Promotional workshops brochures held in the for general 2. course of information Complet the study and thematic ed. tour to brochures Spain in on winter, December culture and 2009. nature tourism The printed and 3. In elaboration distributed Pro of linkages by UNWTO gres of Kars to and MoCT. s. Eastern Anatolia and the 3. In identificatio connection n further to to 2. a web the site will be promotion developed in of corporation itineraries with within Kars SERKA Province developmen and t Agency for surrounding the areas, as promotion well as an of Kars as a evaluation tourism of enhanced destination. use of and promotion of cultural events were assessed and included in the Tourism Master Plan for Kars Province. x x X Awareness- raising training on cultural heritage and visit 41 opportunitie s within the Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Capacity- A training Trained Lack of building needs local interest to amongst local assessment trainers will the training communities (TNA) was continue the programmes. for carried out training entrepreneurs with the programmes hip to objective to . enhance establish a income from baseline Complet tourism- assessment ed related of capacity activities. building needs for training programme s in Kars Province.

Training programme s were designed based on the TNA including the identificati on of enterprise opportuniti es for identified communitie s and groups and particularly focused on potential enterprise delivery for tourism facilities and services in Kars Province.

The following training was delivered, based on the TNA;  Training for tourism awarene ss- raising and a first set of 42 training Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Tourism Internal 1. UNJP and Assumption 1: 1. cluster networks SERKA SERKA‟s Complet roadmap mobilized (Development collaborative ed. prepared through Agency) attitude will jointly with cluster integrated continue local development certain stakeholders activities and elements of Assumption: and pilot partnership Cluster Road SERKA‟s activities established. Map and funding supported by Potential for Tourism mechanisms the UNJP strengthened Strategy in are eligible for ownership at the work supporting local level for plans and tourism sector 2. In sector strategies of (tourism Pro development the Agency. already in their gres with strategy) s increased 2. Knowledge capacities. and Risk: Change experience in local SERKA‟s sharing with positions upon presence other the general provides provinces elections opportunity within the 3. In for local mandate of Risk 2: Lack progress. ownership SERKA with of willingness and a view to and ownership sustainability build a model to lead the with regard to that will be activities tourism implemented within the cluster in the future roadmap roadmap, by the since they are Agency. an agency 4. In mandated 3. progress. with Roundtables supporting will be regional organized competitiven with relevant ess/ national and development local stakeholders for the x x x x sustainability of tourism clusters and prioritization of roadmap.

4.A Community Based Tourism workshop with the participation of all relevant stakeholders, including the Development Agencies, municipalities , international governance organizations, 43 tourism unions and Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Capacities of Increased

capacities communities Tools and Assumption: of local methodologi The positive stakeholder and es will be working In s and transferred environment Progress outcomes enterprises to SERKA, created at the of grant Provincial local level projects increased for Directorate will be will be of Culture continued. complemen income and Tourism (e.g. positive tary to the and other approach of Tourism generation relevant local actors Action local to work plans to be and job stakeholders together) implemente . d in Kars, creation in through

developed culture based KARTAB institutional will be and tourism. responsible individual for capacities. Three main updating/rep The fact rinting the line of actions that promotional grantees material. to support this were encouraged objective are to partner with other as follows: local actors increased their culture

of working together, 1- Cap which will acity be an asset deve in the lopm future ent implementa prog tions. rams The fact : that Thes trainings e were progr delivered ams by the targe MoCT ted increased enter the prise awareness s/thei of MoCT r about Kars mana as well as gers, strengtheni touri ng local sm actors‟ empl relations oyee with s, MoCT, (pote creating a ntial) demand for wom the future, en leading in 44 entre the pren Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Activities for The mapping Concerning National the of the local the Inventory safeguarding ICH in its completion forms will be and diverse forms of the qualified and promotion of of national 2003 Intangible expressions is inventory,M Convention Cultural expected to oCT will of ICH Heritage in raise follow the implementati Kars and awareness on implementat on will be environs ICH as an ion through improved. completed, integral part the receipt (including: of the local of better - field cultural completed research and assets, registration mapping especially forms of the (with, with regard to local ICH description the heritage‟s elements. Complet and bearers, and Follow-up ed. assessment of to reinforce workshops items; their may be recommendati ownership. carried out ons for Furthermore, in Kars and safeguarding the research other and will offer a provinces of transmission) necessary the Eastern - Awareness- reference for Turkey. The raising actions all future distribution on the actions aimed of the UNESCO at the updated Convention safeguarding version of for the and viability the booklet safeguarding of this will be of ICH, and heritage, as carried out on the well as for its by MoCT. establishment inclusion into The booklet of a national sustainable will be inventory. and updated responsible every year Establishment programmes and of the Culture of tourism distributed House and development. to relevant collateral stakeholders activities for As regards . the actions in MoCT will safeguarding support of the officially of the national register the Minstrelsy inventorying documentatio tradition of ICH, it n into their shall be noted Folklore that the Documentatio inventory- n and making is Information considered as Center. one of the necessary As regards conditions to the ICH ensure the mapping sustainable prepared for safeguarding publication of ICH and it and printed. is one of the priority Concerning actions that the the signatory Minstrelsy 45 parties of the tradition, UNESCO follow-up Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Training As a further The JP will Interest to course in element to primarily traditional crafts design ensure aim at instrument and sustainabilit creating the making and production y of conditions using will be conducted. activities for the increased. enlisted in continuation the of the previous courses after Complet row, the JP‟s end. ed training A chorus activities on has already the making been and established. performanc MoCT also e of registered x x x traditional the trainer musical Master (Mr. instruments Salih Şahin) , “saz” and in the state “tar” were archive as a completed, resource with the person. He participatio will be n of 20 considered students. as a candidate for the UNESCO Living Human Treasure. A communicatio n plan to ensure the Complet visibility of ed the Joint x x x Programme and the cultural/touris m potential of Kars was implemented.

46 Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Children In the Children Museum Children‟s Museum Rooms in Museum Rooms in Kars on 17 Rooms in different January 2011 Kars and regions in Complet and Erzurum Erzurum Turkey will ed on 21 April children had be 2011 museum established. established. training from their peers who participated x x x museum training‟s of UNJP. They did also special workshops in order to learn more about Kars‟ cultural heritage and assets.

47 Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Children 5 children A network Training Museum museum among the programmes Complet Training training children from peers to ed. Programme modules established peers was printed which through the continued. developed in could be children cooperation replicable for rights with the other committees Ankara provinces and and Social University regions of Services and Education Turkey. Child Faculty, the Protection More than Prime Agency. 500 children Ministry and 100 adult Social A cooperation trained in Services and agreement In these training Child between Progress programmes. Protection MoCT and Agency and The Children Ministry of the Ministry Museum National of Culture and Training Education Tourism Programme will be signed along with encourages for the UNICEF children to sustainability aiming to use national of the include the and cultural museum child‟s assets, trainings. perspective in understand the UN Joint the Programme importance of process and the concepts contribute to of peace and the overall tolerance, to goal with know that children. using them is Children a right, and participating develop in the awareness Museum regarding that Training information Programme through peer and who are training in also members museums. of the Provincial Child Rights

Committee are training their friends in their own provinces as “peer trainers.” The goal is to implement the special training module prepared during the museum training process, in x x x cooperation 48 with the Ministry of Sustainability Sustainabil Achieveme ity Tools Assumption Polic Progress Exit Action nt and s/Risks Outco y / Instituti Proce in Exit Potentials mes Strat onal sses Action egy Eight Child Two short Social Coordination Rights films about Services and among Committees the train Child relevant traveled on journey and Protection institutions board of the train dairy Agency will may be “Tolerance, book follow up lower than Harmony prepared both the expected. Complet and for children ed. Friendship informative rights and MoCT and Train” from and awareness MONE will x Istanbul to inspirationa on cultural have a Kars l for related heritage. special between 18- future agreement 22 April activities. on 2011 with replication the of these participation activities in of 33 other children and provinces. 32 adults.

IV. FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE JOINT PROGRAMME

a. Provide a final financial status of the joint programme in the following categories (part only): UNDP 1. Total Approved Budget: USD 1,682,040.00 2. Total Budget Transferred: USD 1,682,040.00 3. Total Budget Committed: USD 7,254.15.00 4. Total Budget Disbursed: USD 1,658,677. 78 UNWTO 1. Total Approved Budget: USD 601,340 2. Total Budget Transferred: USD 601,340 3. Total Budget Committed: USD 15,536.83 4. Total Budget Disbursed: USD 580,673.39 UNICEF 1. Total Approved Budget: USD 627.000 2. Total Budget Transferred: USD 627.000 3. Total Budget Committed: USD 9736 4. Total Budget Disbursed: USD 617.264

UNESCO 1. Total Approved Budget: USD 830 320

49 2. Total Budget Transferred: USD 830 320 3. Total Budget Committed: USD 16,503.02 4. Total Budget Disbursed: USD 813,157.89

b. Explain any outstanding balance or variances with the original budget

V. OTHER COMMENTS AND/OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

VI. ANNEXES

1. List of all document/studies produced by the joint programme 2. List all communication products created by the joint programme 3. Minutes of the final review meeting of the Programme Management Committee and National Steering Committee 4. Final Evaluation Report 5. M&E framework with update final values of indicators All above annexes can be reached from below link: http://www.undp.org.tr/Gozlem2.aspx?WebSayfaNo=1741

Project Documents

 Official Project Document  Project Inception Report  Project Brochure

Press Releases/Speeches

 Published press releases on project website